“Happy Feet” Dominant Feat; Three Weeks at the Top of the Box Office

For the third week in a row the Warner Bros. animated flick “Happy Feet” took box-office gold in the U.S. Pulling in another $17 million over the weekend, the dancing penguins have a 17-day total of $121 million.

It hasn’t been all song and dance for the penguins, they’ve faced a formidable challenger each week and it wasn’t any easier this past weekend. “Casino Royale” once again grabbed the two spot with $15.1 million at the ticket counter. Released the same day as “Happy Feet”, the new Bond film has a 17-day total of $115.9 million in the American market. The two films have enjoyed three weekends and they are separated by just over $5 million.

While “Happy Feat” has grabbed the spotlight in the U.S., “Casino Royale” continues to dominate the international screens. Bond has topped $300 million worldwide and is on the way to $500 million, a Bond record. Not bad for Daniel Craig in his first appearance as the British intelligence agent.

Denzel Washington returned to the screen with the action adventure “Déjà Vu” and settled in at number three with $11 million. Denzel plays an FBI agent who uses technology to see into the past to prevent a present day bombing.

“The Nativity Story”, thought by some to make an impact, did little for moviegoers. Most people avoided the flick as it made just $8 million to finish fourth.

“Deck the Halls” rounded out the top five with $6.7 million in ticket sales.

Next weekend could leave the penguins and Bond out in the cold. With a strong cast of new releases many expect the top of the charts to look a lot different.

Mel Gibson brings “Apocalypto” to the screens. The film has received great reviews and has enjoyed a push in the media. It will be Gibson’s first film since “Passion of the Christ” and the first since being arrested for a DUI.
 
“The Holiday” will try to use star power to climb to the top of the box-office. With Jude Law, Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, and Jack Black the romantic comedy will definitely find an audience.

Leonardo DiCaprio will try to lead “Blood Diamond” to the number one spot next weekend. “Blood Diamond” has used an aggressive marketing campaign to get the public interested.
 
Box-Office Top 10

Movie                              Weekend        Total
1. Happy Feet                 $17 million      $121
2. Casino Royale             $15.1 million   $115.9
3. Déjà Vu                       $11 million      $44.1
4. The Nativity Story         $8 million        $8
5. Deck the Halls             $6.7 million     $25
6. The Santa Clause         $5 million       $73.2
7. Borat                           $4.8 million    $116.3
8. Turistas                       $3.5 million     $3.5
9. Stranger than Fiction    $3.4 million     $37
10. Van Wilder                 $2.3 million     $2.3

www.finditt.com