ROTTEN TOMATOES: Box Office Guru Wrapup: Enchanted Enchants Again

Box Office Guru Wrapup: Enchanted Enchants Again

Awake opens in fourth.

by Sujit Chawla | December 03, 2007

The post-Thanksgiving doldrums hit the moviegoing audience as, much like 2006, the top three films remained the same from last weekend and fourth place was taken by a new film. Enchanted held on to first place, while Awake opened dismally in fourth.

Disney scored back-to-back number one weekends with the animated/live-action hybrid Enchanted which dropped just over 50% from last weekend's opening and took in an estimated $17M. Last year's post-Thanksgiving champ, Happy Feet dropped 53% in its third weekend, while Enchanted was in its second weekend. Its total now stands at $70M. Look for Princess Giselle and company to play strong through the holidays, eventually ending up in the $140-150M range.

Second and third place were identical to last week as the surprising This Christmas dropped a reasonable 53% to an estimated $8.4M bringing its cume to $36.9M. Look for a final gross in the area of $60M, making the Sony release highly profitable. In third place was the CGI-fest Beowulf which wrangled $7.8M this weekend, according to estimates. Its total now stands at $68.6M.

Waking up sleeping moviegoers in fourth place was the thriller Awake starring Hayden Christensen and Jessica Alba. The MGM/Weinstin release scared up an estimated $6M this weekend, for a per screen average of just over $3,000. With poor reviews, expect a quick trip through the theatrical window and a DVD release early next year.

Landing in fifth place was the videogame-turned-film Hitman which shot up $5.8M this weekend, according to estimates, bringing its cume after two weekends to $30M. Look for a final gross in the $45-50M range. Sixth and seventh places were identical to last weekend as Warner Bros. stablemates Fred Claus and August Rush each dropped less than 50% from last weekend. Santa's annoying brother took in $5.5M, according to estimates, bringing its cume to $59.7M, while the musical drama brought in an estimated $5.1M, bringing its total to $20.3M.

Oscar hopeful No Country for Old Men zoomed up to eighth place this weekend, with the lowest drop in the top 10. The Coen Brothers crime thriller took in an estimated $4.5M, bringing its total to a solid $23M, while still playing in less than 1,000 theaters. Watch the grosses grow as we start heading into awards season. Ninth place was snatched up by a busy bee as Jerry Seinfeld's animated alter ego Bee Movie buzzed audiences with another $4.4M this weekend, according to estimates. Its 62% drop from last weekend was the biggest in the top 10 and its cume now stands at $117.6M. And rounding out the top 10 was another award hopeful American Gangster, which took in an estimated $4.2M in its fifth weekend, bringing its total to $121.7M.

Debuting outside the top 10 were a couple of more award hopefuls in The Savages and The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. The Savages, starring Philip Seymour Hoffman and Laura Linney, took in $153,000 from only 4 theaters for a per screen average of $38,250. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, which tells the story of a man whose only method of communication is blinking his left eyelid, took in $75,300 from 3 theaters for a per screen average of $25,100.

The top 10 grossed $69M this weekend, which was down 10% from 2006 when Happy Feet remained at number one with $17.5M, and down 6.5% from 2005 when Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire also remained on top, with $19.8M.

Related Items

Movie:	Awake
	The Savages
	The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

(1-20 of 27 posts) | Reply

CowboyMovieJunkie26 writes:
on Dec 02 2007 03:23 PM

Wow the only movies worth going to see this weekend is No Country For Old Men. And even that doesn't sound that entertaining. Just freaking give me I Am Lengend already!

(Reply to this)

Bloody Mathias writes:
on Dec 02 2007 03:53 PM

Yeah, with the Dark Knight trailer and a 7 min Joker prologue in IMAX, I Am Legend is the only thing worth looking forward to in the next two weeks.

12 Days to go.

(Reply to this)

nalindra writes:
on Dec 02 2007 04:02 PM

Jeez I wish I am Legend is here already,I have always liked seeing will smith kick *** dont care if its robots,alieans or in this case vampire zombies and with the promise of The dark knight promo I am Legend is the movie for this season.

(Reply to this)

VICVEGA06 writes:
on Dec 02 2007 04:39 PM

In reply to this comment (#1323758)
you'd be a tool bag not to see No Country.

(Reply to this)

banditwhore writes:
on Dec 02 2007 04:48 PM

if you are in the los angeles area, i strongly urge people to see the savages with laura linney and philip seymour hoffman.

(Reply to this)

Paul_Is_Drunk writes:
on Dec 02 2007 05:37 PM

@CowboyMovieJunky26

See No Country For Old Men. It's good. Trust me.

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rt_hire_me writes:
on Dec 02 2007 05:50 PM

You can usually count on a consensus of critics, but Enchanted just isn't that great. It just goes to show the limitations of the tomatometer. Just because the majority of them thought it was a tomato half fresh (y'know, like a glass half... nevermind) doesn't mean it was that great a film.

The lead male was dull, the Grey's Anatomy guy. My wife argued that he was supposed to be dull. I just started to wonder, more at the beginning than the end, whether he was starting to feel embarrassed about taking this role.

(Reply to this)

BallerK3V1N writes:
on Dec 02 2007 07:51 PM

No Country for Old Men = best movie of the year!!!!!

(Reply to this)

bookworm1994 writes:
on Dec 02 2007 08:35 PM

In reply to this comment (#1324152)
I was waiting for someone to dislike Enchanted. ;) Even though I disagree with you 110%, I was surprised how many people liked it. It seemed like such a brave movie.

(Reply to this)

agniyo writes:
on Dec 02 2007 09:15 PM

Re - Enchanted: Is James Marsden ever going to be in a role which DOESN'T involve a love triangle?

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ilovemygoatee writes:
on Dec 02 2007 09:37 PM

While i am waiting for I Am Legend to come out i am holding my breath about the Golden Compass. I have read the book and it is freaking awesome and from what ive heard so far Compass is actually pretty good. That and I Am Legend will have to get me through the holidays

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jasperoosterveld writes:
on Dec 02 2007 10:11 PM

No country for old man was amazing! i also can't wait for Golden Compass :)

(Reply to this)

TheIceGhost writes:
on Dec 02 2007 10:52 PM

A buddy of mine and myself were planning to see No Country this weekend, but somehow made the decision to see Beowulf in 3D instead. And I mean, the 3D 'was' good and neat and everything, it's definitely the 'only' way you should see that otherwise lame film. But in the end all we really got out of the movie was that no man can resist the charms of Angelina Jolie's snatch.

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hilohawaiian69 writes:
on Dec 03 2007 03:02 AM

Well, I liked Enchanted. Also looking forward to The Golden Compass and even more so I am Legend.

P.S. I guess I'm a tool bag. The preview for Old Country just doesn't look very interesting to me. I'm sure I'll be shocked when I rent it on dvd.

(Reply to this)

dahluzz writes:
on Dec 03 2007 06:38 AM

In reply to this comment (#1324930)
yeah, if that preview did nothing for you, then there's probably little hope that you're not a complete tool. sorry about that, but good luck in life. i've seen the movie twice and it really is one of the best of the year, and some of the finest work the coens have done. but hey, at least you managed to see enchanted right?

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fbp writes:
on Dec 03 2007 06:57 AM

Enchanted is a great movie. It manages to satirize American media production, parody itself, and be a slick Disney fairy-tale. It's good for either an active or passive viewer. I think the more mindful reviewers are picking up on this.

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Crenshaw writes:
on Dec 03 2007 07:35 AM

I have to agree with those saying Enchanted is a great movie. It's fun - can't movies be fun? It's a waste of time and effort comparing it to No Country. They are completely different experiences and you will go see them for completely different reasons. Each one succeeds at what it is trying to do. So calm down.

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rsav1976 writes:
on Dec 03 2007 10:20 AM

No Country For Old Men was fantastic, by far the best movie of the year. I Am Legend? Watch the original "Last Man On Earth" with Vincent Price first, and figure out for yourselves whether Will Smith can fill his shoes in this story. I Am Skeptical.

(Reply to this)

bribios writes:
on Dec 03 2007 12:23 PM

How could a guy called "cowboy movie junkie" not want to see "No Country For Old Men?" Anyone else find that incredibly ironic?

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daycare writes:
on Dec 03 2007 01:16 PM

The Golden Compass was a mess. i agree with the Critics. Bring on Will Smith.

(Reply to this)