'True Grit' Shows Its Mettle, Overtakes 'Little Fockers' at the Box Office

Third time was the charm for 'True Grit.' In its third matchup against 'Little Fockers,' the Western finally came out on top. According to studio estimates, 'True Grit' won the weekend with ticket sales of $15 million, while 'Little Fockers' was not far behind with $13.8 million.

As was widely predicted, the two movies that had dominated the box office since before Christmas ran nose-to-nose in close competition, while this week's newer wide releases -- Nicolas Cage's 'Season of the Witch' and Gwyneth Paltrow's 'Country Strong' -- would have to settle for also-ran status.

Last week, with the holiday season not yet wrapped up and family audiences still filling the multiplexes, the more family-friendly 'Fockers' was the stronger contender. This week, however, it was the violent Jeff Bridges Western, with its stronger word-of-mouth, that won the weekdays, and that streak continued into the weekend. 'True Grit' fell just 39 percent from last weekend, compared to 46 percent for 'Fockers.' Its three-week total stands at $110.4 million, making it the highest-grossing of the fall/winter Oscar contenders. It still hasn't earned as much as 'Fockers,' however, which, over the same three weeks, has taken in $124.0 million.

The week's only brand-new wide release, 'Season of the Witch,' earned an estimated $10.7 million, good for a third-place debut. The medieval thriller grossed about a million more than pundits had predicted, perhaps because it had no new films in the action space to compete against, or because it had so little advance buzz that people went to see it before the withering reviews were out.

In fourth place, 'TRON: Legacy' fell another 48 percent, with an estimated $9.8 million take. In four weeks, it's scored $147.9 million, still below its estimated $170 million production budget.

At No. 5 was Black Swan,' which slipped just 6 percent to an estimated $8.4 million. The much-talked-about Natalie Portman ballet drama has earned $61.5 million to date, more than director Darren Aronofsky's first four movies combined.

'Country Strong,' which opened wide after two weeks in limited release, came in sixth, with an estimated $7.3 million. That figure was in line with predictions for the Paltrow drama, which, according to studio exit polling, had little appeal to men and only moderate appeal to younger audiences.

The full top 10:
1. 'True Grit,' $15.0 million (3,124 screens), $110.4 million total
2. 'Little Fockers,' $13.8 million (3,675), $124.0 million
3. 'Season of the Witch,' $10.7 million (2,816), new release
4. 'TRON: Legacy,' $9.8 million (3,013), $147.9 million
5. 'Black Swan,' $8.4 million (1,584), $61.5 million
6. 'Country Strong,' $7.3 million (1,424), $7.4 million
7. 'The Fighter,' $7.0 million (2,528), $57.8 million
8. 'The King's Speech,' $6.811 million (758), $33.3 million
9. 'Yogi Bear,' $6.810 million (3,288), $75.6 million
10. 'Tangled,' $5.2 million (2,383), $175.9 million

•Follow Gary Susman on Twitter @garysusman.

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'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I' Smashes Records: Box Office Report November 19-21

Just how big was this weekend's opening of 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I'? Well, take the combined earnings of the other nine movies in this weekend's top 10, about $60 million, then double that number, and you still won't reach the sales figure that 'Potter' conjured up.

According to studio estimates, 'Potter' earned $125.1 million this weekend, a record for the franchise that far surpasses the $102.7 million earned by 'Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire' in 2005, the last time a 'Potter' picture opened over just a three-day weekend. 'Deathly Hallows' also set a franchise record with $24 million in midnight screenings on Friday morning. Its full Friday take was $61.2 million, yet another franchise record and the fifth-biggest single-day sales figure in box office history. If that $125.1 million figure holds after final numbers are released on Monday, it will be the sixth biggest opening weekend of all time, behind May's 'Iron Man 2' ($128.1 million).

Even with such staggering numbers, 'Deathly Hallows' still slightly underperformed predictions, which anticipated a take as high as $130 million. Maybe that's because the movie still faced a small amount of family-audience competition from 'Megamind,' still going strong with an estimated $16.2 million in its third weekend. It still boasts an enormous screen count (3,779 venues, second behind 'Potter's' 4,125), so if 'Potter' screenings were sold out, chances are good 'Megamind' was still playing next door. In three weeks, it's earned $109.5 million.

'Unstoppable' was third this weekend with an estimated $13.1 million, down just 42 percent from last week's opening. In 10 days, the runaway train thriller has earned $42.0 million.

In fourth place, 'Due Date' was the weekend's top comedy, with an estimated $9.2 million and a modest third-weekend drop of 40 percent. It's grossed $72.7 million to date.

Opening at No. 5, Russell Crowe's action thriller 'The Next Three Days' disappointed with just an estimated $6.8 million. In a weekend dominated by Harry Potter, expectations were low to begin with, but Crowe's movies these days tend to open between $11 and $14 million. Apparently, there was still plenty of competition for the guy audience with 'Unstoppable' and 'Due Date.' Hey, is it too late for Crowe to get himself cast in 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II'?

The full top 10:
1. 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I,' $125.1 million (4,125 screens), new release
2. 'Megamind,' $16.2 million (3,779), $109.5 million total
3. 'Unstoppable,' $13.1 million (3,209), $42.0 million
4. 'Due Date,' $9.2 million (3,229), $72.7 million
5. 'The Next Three Days,' $6.8 million (2,564), new release
6. 'Morning Glory,' $5.2 million (2,544, $19.9 million
7. 'Skyline,' $3.4 million (2,883), $17.6 million
8. 'Red,' $2.5 million (2,034), $83.6 million
9. 'For Colored Girls,' $2.4 million (1,216), $34.5 million
10. 'Fair Game,' $1.5 million (386), $3,7 million

•Follow Gary Susman on Twitter @garysusman.

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'Harry Potter' Works Thanksgiving Magic: Box Office Report November 26-28

Harry, Ron and Hermione may be spending a miserable winter hiding out in various forests, but they can be thankful for holiday weekend moviegoers, who made 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I' the top-grossing film for the second week in a row. It's an impressive feat, considering that four new wide-release movies opened Wednesday to steal some of Harry's Thanksgiving thunder.

According to studio estimates, the Potter picture pulled another $50.3 million over the last three days. That's down a striking 60 percent from last week's business, which might be cause for alarm if the movie's domestic gross over its first 10 days weren't already up to 220.4 million. Over the five-day holiday, it earned $76.3 million, which is also better than its four new competitors over the same period.

Still, 'Tangled' was close behind, with an estimated $49.1 million for the weekend. And with a five-day total of $69.0 million, the Disney take on the Rapunzel tale scored the best Thanksgiving opening since Disney's own 'Toy Story 2' back in 1999. (That film earned $57.4 million over the three-day weekend and $80.1 million from Wednesday to Sunday.) It also boasted the best per-screen average ($13,628) of any top 10 movie this week. Credit the Disney marketing machine, glowing reviews, a princess story that also had some boy appeal, a PG rating that was a little more family-friendly than the dark 'Deathly Hallows' and 3-D ticket surcharges.

A distant third but still holding strong (stronger, anyway, than three of the four newcomers), 'Megamind' grossed another estimated $12.9 million. Like 'Tangled,' it's benefiting from 3-D ticket prices and family crowds, and it's also playing in more theaters than every other movie except 'Tangled' and 'Deathly Hallows.' Down just 20 percent from last weekend, 'Megamind' claims a four-weekend total of $130.5 million.

Opening at No. 4 was the Cher/Christina Aguilera musical 'Burlesque.' Pundits had been expecting an opening weekend of $13 million with a five-day total of $19 million. It performed slightly below those guesses, earning an estimated $11.8 million over the weekend and $17.2 million since it opened on Wednesday. Despite tireless promotion from its two leads, the movie still may have seemed like an enigma to potential viewers -- a musical not based on a familiar Broadway title, a pop star (Aguilera) who'd never acted in a film before, teasing hints of adult sexuality wrapped in a PG-13 rating and wishy-washy reviews.

LIke 'Megamind,' 'Unstoppable' is still in good shape, taking the No. 5 spot with an estimated $11.75 million, just a hair behind fourth-place 'Burlesque.' (When final numbers are released Monday, those positions could switch.) The runaway-train thriller barely lost any of last week's business (just 10 percent), for a three-weekend total of $60.7 million.

Debuting in sixth place was 'Love and Other Drugs,' which scored an estimated $9.9 million over the weekend and $14.0 million since Wednesday. That's near the low end of expectations, which had been in the $9-$11 million range for Friday to Sunday and $14-$16 million over the first five days. On the minus side, the romantic drama had a tough-sell adult premise, middling reviews and word-of-mouth, and competition for the adult female audience from 'Burlesque.' On the plus side, much hype about a frequently naked Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway.

The last of this weekend's new wide releases, 'Faster' opened in a disappointing seventh place. Predictions had been around $11-$13 million for the weekend and $17-$19 million for the first five days, but it opened with only an estimated $8.7 million weekend and $12.2 million since Wednesday. Despite the return of Dwayne Johnson to action films for the first time in five years, the absence of other new action product and positive word-of-mouth, the movie was underhyped and under-released (on just 2,454 screens). Plus, it had to compete with the still-popular 'Unstoppable.' Nonetheless, $12.2 million is more than half the movie's reported $24 million budget, so 'Faster' should turn a modest profit even if it's out of theaters soon.

Opening in limited release, 'The King's Speech' set a record for the best per-screen average of 2010, earning a regal $87,448 on each of four screens. Sure, that's just $350,000, but watch for its numbers to grow as it rides a wave of strong Oscar buzz for Colin Firth's performance and opens wider across the country.

The full top 10 (three-day grosses):
1. 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I,' $50.3 million (4,125 screens), $220.4 million total
2. 'Tangled,' $49.1 million (3,603), $69.0 million
3. 'Megamind,' $12.9 million (3,411), $130.5 million
4. 'Burlesque,' $11.80 million (3,037), $17.2 million
5. 'Unstoppable,' $11.75 million (3,183), $60.7 million
6. 'Love and Other Drugs,' $9.9 million (2,455), $14.0 million
7. 'Faster,' $8.7 million (2,454), $12.2 million
8. 'Due Date,' $7.3 million (2,555), $85.0 million
9. 'The Next Three Days,' $4.8 million (2,564), $14.6 million
10. 'Morning Glory,' $4.0 million (2,441), $26.5 million

•Follow Gary Susman on Twitter @garysusman.

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'Tron: Legacy' Gets the High Score at Weekend Box Office

If you wait long enough, it's not a sequel, it's the beginning of a whole new franchise. So it is with 'TRON: Legacy,' which proved so huge in its first three days that it rendered the original movie 28 years ago a mere footnote in the reboot's success.

'TRON: Legacy' dominated the box office with an estimated $43.6 million, about $17 million more than the 1982 'TRON' earned during its entire run. You'd think a sequel to a movie made nearly 30 years ago and beloved only by a cult of fanboys would face an uphill climb at the box office, but Disney deserves a lot of credit for expertly marketing the sequel, making sure it had state-of-the-art special effects, getting Jeff Bridges to return as the star (and to play opposite a CGI version of his younger self), and getting it into as many 3-D and IMAX theaters as possible.

In fact, IMAX screens made up more than 25 percent of the movie's midnight opening take of $3.6 million early Friday, a record ratio for IMAX. Those spectacle surcharges, plus enthusiastic word-of-mouth, should keep the new 'TRON' a top moneymaker throughout the holiday season. Not to mention ensuring that Disney doesn't wait another 28 years before making 'TRON: Legacy: Legacy.'

Even so, given the hype, many pundits expected 'TRON: Legacy' to open even bigger, with estimates as high as $54 million. Similarly, 'Yogi Bear' was expected to open between $18 and $23 million, but it debuted with an estimated $16.7 million. Still, that was enough for an easy second-place finish for the 3-D adaptation of the old cartoon favorite. Reviews were unkind, but young children obviously didn't mind (save for 'Tangled,' there was little else targeted at them), and lthe extra cash from glasses rentals didn't hurt.

Last week's No. 1, 'The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader,' actually did a smidge better than expected. After its weak opening, it was expected to have a second-weekend dropoff in the range of the first 'Narnia' movie (51 percent) or the second (59 percent), but it slipped just 48 percent to an estimated $12.4 million and a third-place finish. Still, even though it's earned only $42.8 million domestically, it's earned twice that overseas, so the prospect of a fourth 'Narnia' film seems secure.

Just a jab or two behind 'Dawn Treader' was 'The Fighter,' which expanded this week from four screens to 2,503 and earned an estimated $12.2 million. That was within the $11-to-$15 million range of expectations, which took into account the movie's impressive opening last week ($75,000 per screen, slightly below initial estimates) and its massive awards-season buzz, including Golden Globe nominations for Best Drama, Best Director and for its four principal stars.

Rounding out the top 5 was 'The Tourist,' which lost 47 percent of its business due to weak word-of-mouth and took in another estimated $8.70 million. (That's just a hair more than the estimated $8.68 million for 'Tangled,' so when final numbers are released Monday, the two may switch places.) 'The Tourist's' two-weekend total is $30.8 million.

Two other movies entered the wide-release marketplace this weekend. One was 'Black Swan,' which vaulted from 90 to 959 screens and earned an estimated $8.3 million, good for seventh place. As with 'The Fighter,' positive reviews and strong Oscar buzz have made the Natalie Portman drama a big want-to-see, as reflected in 'Black Swan's' $8,655 per-screen average, second only to 'TRON: Legacy' among this week's wide releases.

The other, 'How Do You Know,' was a disappointment, opening at No. 8 with an estimated $7.6 million. Given a strong cast (Reese Witherspoon, Owen Wilson, Paul Rudd, and Jack Nicholson) and a lack of romantic-comedy competition, the movie had been expected to open between $10 and $13 million, but it sank beneath the weight of lackluster reviews.

The full top 10:
1. 'TRON: Legacy,' $43.6 million (3,451 screens), new release
2. 'Yogi Bear,' $16.7 million (3,515), new release
3. 'The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader,' $12.4 million (3,555), $42.8 million total
4. 'The Fighter,' $12.2 million (2,503), $12.6 million
5. 'The Tourist,' $8.70 million (2,756), $30.8 million
6. 'Tangled,' $8.68 million (3,201), $127.8 million total
7. 'Black Swan,' $8.3 million (959), $15.7 million
8. 'How Do You Know,' $7.6 million (2,483), new release
9. 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I,' $4.8 million (2,860), $265.5 million
10. 'Unstoppable,' $1.8 million (1,874), $77.3 million

•Follow Gary Susman on Twitter @garysusman.

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'Little Fockers' Outfoxes 'True Grit' Again: Box Office Report December 31-January 2

On paper, this should have been 'True Grit's' week to shine. The universally acclaimed western was supposed to outride last week's champ, the universally reviled 'Little Fockers,' toward box office victory. There were no new wide releases to steal its thunder. Predictions for 'True Grit's' second-weekend take averaged about $24.8 million, very close to what it ended up earning. Yet it still couldn't surpass 'Fockers,' which ruled for a second weekend with an estimated $26.3 million, with a much smaller-than-expected drop-off from last week. Guess there's no accounting for taste.

Given its abominable reviews and mediocre-to-poor word of mouth (not to mention it's final weekend tally last week of $30.8 million, well below Universal's initial optimistic estimate of $34.0 million), 'Fockers' was expected to fall about 24 percent this weekend to a predicted $23.4 million or so. Instead, it lost only 15 percent of last weekend's business and earned enough to cross into nine-figure territory (its two-week total is $103.2 million). Maybe it's because the comedy added 18 new screens (but then, 'True Grit' added 36), or because it pretty much has the comedy-for-grown-ups niche to itself (sorry, 'How Do You Know'), while the more violent 'True Grit' is less family-friendly and skews toward an older audience.

Still, 'True Grit' grossed an estimated $24.5 million this weekend, very much in line with expectations and down just one percent from last week's take of $24.9 million. (Like Universal, Paramount initially overestimated last week's take, though not by much, at $25.6 million.) It did enjoy a higher per-screen average than 'Fockers' ($7,947 to $7,400). The Jeff Bridges movie's two-week total stands at $86.8 million, so it's poised to become one of the highest-grossing of this year's Oscar-hopeful movies. (It won't catch up to 'Toy Story 3' or 'Inception,' but it'll surpass 'The Social Network's' $93.2 million sometime this week.)

Jeff Bridges' other movie, 'TRON: Legacy,' held on strong as well. Coming in third, it scored an estimated $18.3 million this weekend, down just four percent from last week. With a three-week total of $130.9, it has a long way to go to surpass its reported $170 million budget, but it remains the first-choice 3-D spectacle currently in theaters.

Last week, 'Yogi Bear' dropped more than 50 percent on middling word-of-mouth. It added no theaters this week, yet Warner Bros. is estimating a 66 percent increase in business, to a fourth-place finish $13.0 million. Pundits were predicting a slighter rise, to about $9 million, since more kids were out of school this week and there was no major East Coast blizzard to keep families away from the multiplexes. Either the accountants at Warners are overly optimistic, or else they're smarter than the average bear.

'Yogi's' major competition in the 3-D family-fare sweepstakes, 'The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader,' earned an estimated $10.5 million this week, good for fifth place. Its studio, Fox, also predicted a modest Christmas-vacation bump in business over last week, even though the film lost nearly 600 screens this week. Still, its estimate was just a hair ahead of Disney's for 'Tangled' ($10.01 million) and Paramount's for 'The Fighter' ($10.0 million), so those films could all switch places by the time final figures are released on Monday.

The full top 10:
1. 'Little Fockers,' $26.3 million (3,554 screens), $103.2 million total
2. 'True Grit,' $24.5 million (3,083), $86.8 million
3. 'TRON: Legacy,' $18.3 million (3,365), $130.9 million
4. 'Yogi Bear,' $13.0 million (3,515), $66.1 million
5. 'The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader,' $10.5 million (2,948), $87.1 million
6. 'Tangled,' $10.01 million (2,582), $168.0 million
7. 'The Fighter,' $10.0 million (2,534), $46.4 million
8. 'Gulliver's Travels,' $9.1 million (3,089), $27.2 million
9. 'Black Swan,' $8.5 million (1,553), $47.4 million
10. 'The King's Speech,' $7.6 million (700), $22.8 million

•Follow Gary Susman on Twitter @garysusman.

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'Fockers' Comes In First, 'Gulliver' Falls Very Short: Box Office Report December 24 - 26

Looks like there's life in those old Fockers yet. Despite widespread critical derision, the star power of De Niro, Stiller, Hoffman et al. was still potent enough to send 'Little Fockers' to the top of the box office heap over the holiday weekend with an estimated $34 million over three days and a cumulative $48.3 million five-day haul.

Released on Wednesday, the Universal comedy couldn't match the sizable $70 million bow that 'Meet the Parents' enjoyed over Christmas in 2000, but did manage to squeeze past the $46 million that its predecessor, 'Meet the Fockers,' scored in 2004.

It was Bridges versus Bridges to round out the top three, with Jeff Bridges' Oscar contender 'True Grit' (also released Wednesday) beating out Jeff Bridges' effects-laden 'Tron: Legacy' to claim the No. 2 spot with $36.8 million over five days. Pundits were predicting a runner-up position for Disney's 'Tron' thanks to its family-friendly fare, but the Coens' well-reviewed 'Grit' forced it down to No. 3 with a still-respectable $31.8 million five-day take.

By our count, that gives the Oscar-winning Bridges four current roles featured in the box office top three (a trio of which are in 'Tron'), which must be some kind of record.

As well as the unexpected gross, 'True Grit' also provides the Coen Brothers with their highest opening ever; its three-day total of $25.6 million easily outpaced the $19.4 that 'Burn After Reading' brought home in 2008.

To close out the top five, 'The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader' dipped only one place to No. 4 with a three-day boon of $10.8 million, proving that the family fantasy still has its sea legs. Less stable was Warner Bros.' 'Yogi Bear,' which fell three spots to No. 5, losing 46 percent of its business from last week to earn $8.8 million.

The weekend's other new release, 'Gulliver's Travels,' fell far short (pardon the pun) of expectations, debuting in seventh place with a paltry $7.2 million from 2,546 theaters after its Christmas Day debut.

Though 'Gulliver's' opened soft, it wasn't all bad news for its studio, 20th Century Fox, since Fox Searchlight's 'Black Swan' is still holding strong, slipping only one spot to eighth position and drawing an estimated $6.6 million from 1,456 theaters, adding up to $10.2 million across the five days for a total of $29 million cumulatively.

According to Variety, overall holiday box office was down 44 percent from last year, underperforming despite a Friday Christmas Eve that might have tempted last-minute shoppers into theaters.

(To avoid confusion: 'Grit' and 'Fockers' were released on Wednesday, hence the use of five day tallies above, while 'Gulliver's Travels' bowed Saturday. Official weekend box office results are usually measured over three days, from Friday to Sunday, as displayed below.)

The full top 10 (weekend totals):
1. 'Little Fockers,' $34 million (3,536 screens), new release
2. 'True Grit,' $25.6 million (3,047 screens), new release
3. 'Tron: Legacy,' $20.1 million (3,451 screens), $88.3 million total
4. 'The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader,' $10.8 million (3,350 screens), $64 million
5. 'Yogi Bear,' $8.8 million (3,515 screens), $36.8 million
6. 'The Fighter,' $8.5 million (2,511 screens), $27.5 million
7. 'Gulliver's Travels,' $7.2 million (2,546 screens), new release
8. 'Black Swan,' $6.6 million (1,466 screens), $29 million
9. 'Tangled,' $6.5 million (2,582 screens), $143.8 million
10. 'The Tourist,' $5.7 million (2,756 screens), $41.2 million

Follow Laura on Twitter @LauinLA.

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'Megamind's' Big Head Draws Big Numbers: Box Office Report Nov. 5 - 7

Who says you have to be a superhero to take over the world -- or the box office? Paramount/DreamWorks Animation's villainous 'Megamind' easily outmuscled the competition in its opening weekend, snatching the top spot with an estimated $47.7 million haul.

Out of 3,944 screens playing the Will Ferrell/Tina Fey animation, a record-breaking 2,634 of those locations were 3D-equipped, accounting for a 3D share of 66 percent. The movie also opened on 195 IMAX 3D screens, for those who thought that Megamind's head just wasn't huge enough on a regular screen.

The blue-skinned baddie headlines DreamWorks' third animated release this year, beating the $43.7 million opening weekend for 'How To Train Your Dragon', but falling short of the epic $70.8 million for 'Shrek Forever After,' which benefited from the ogre's worldwide name recognition.

Warner Bros.' 'Due Date' didn't present much of a threat to 'Megamind's' box office dominance, but the R-rated comedy still performed solidly with a $33.5 million take on 3,355 screens for the No. 2 spot. The film is the latest in a long line of road trip/buddy comedies from director Todd Phillips, whose last effort, 'The Hangover,' drew $44.9 million in its opening weekend last year.

The week saw a number of high-profile releases, with Lionsgate's 'For Colored Girls' opening in the No. 3 spot with an estimated $20.1 million. The Tyler Perry-helmed ensemble piece boasts an outstanding cast including Loretta Devine, Janet Jackson, Whoopi Goldberg, Kimberly Elise, Phylicia Rashad and Thandie Newton, and is Perry's first directorial effort not based on his own material.

As for the rest of the chart, the weekend gave us a couple of unsurprising switch-ups amongst the previous top three. Proving that the old guns still have what it takes to go the distance, Summit's 'Red' slipped only one spot to fourth place with a respectable $8.8 million gross. After debuting in the top spot last week, Lionsgate's 3D splatter-fest 'Saw 3D' fell to fifth place this weekend (a 63.6 percent change), while 'Paranormal Activity 2' slid to No. 6 in its third week of release.

Overall, the total haul for the weekend was a record-breaking $157 million, safely besting the landmark tally set for the first week of November way back in 2003, when 'The Matrix Revolutions' led the weekend box office by opening with $48.8 million for a cumulative $153 million gross.

The full top 10:
1. 'Megamind,' $47.7 million (3,944 screens), new release
2. 'Due Date,' $33.5 million (3,355), new release
3. 'For Colored Girls,' $20.1 million (2,127), new release
4. 'Red,' $8.8 million (3,229), $71.8 million total
5. 'Saw 3D,' $8.2 million (2,808), $38.8 million
6. 'Paranormal Activity 2,' $7.2 million (3,168), $77.2 million
7. 'Jackass 3D,' $5.0 million (2,165), $110.8 million
8. 'Hereafter,' $4.0 million (2,365), $28.7 million
9. 'Secretariat,' $4.0 million (2,614), $50.9 million
10. 'The Social Network,' $3.6 million (1,860), $85.0 million

Watch the first five minutes of 'Megamind' for free.

Follow Laura on Twitter @LauinLA.

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'Narnia: Dawn Treader' Barely Treads Water, Wins Weak Box Office

Maybe potential moviegoers were too busy Christmas shopping this weekend to think much about travel, or travel-themed movies. Far fewer than expected booked passage with either of the weekend's wide releases, 'The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader' and 'The Tourist.' 'Narnia' won the box office weekend with an estimated $24.5 million, but given the expectations for 'Dawn Treader,' that's barely treading water.

Not that anyone expected 'Dawn Treader' to do as well as the first two 'Narnia' movies. 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe' opened with $65.6 million on this same weekend five years ago, while 'Prince Caspian' debuted with $55 million in 2008. With the apparent downward trend, the nearly three-year wait between sequels, middling reviews and competition for the fantasy/family audience from 'Tangled' and 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I,' 'Dawn Treader' faced stormy seas. Still, the series' fanbase (including Christian viewers who appreciate C.S. Lewis' spiritual allegories) and the 3-D surcharge were expected to boost 'Dawn Treader' to a debut between $38 and $45 million.

That it opened with just over half of its projected sales has to be considered a major disappointment both for the franchise and for Fox, which picked up the 'Narnia' banner after Disney dropped it. 'Wardrobe' worked its magic toward a $291.7 domestic total, while 'Caspian' topped out at $141.6 million. 'Dawn Treader' will have trouble cracking $100 million domestically, which will continue Fox's year-long losing streak; the studio hasn't had a film crack the $100 million mark since 2009's 'Avatar.'

'The Tourist' opened in second place with an estimated $17.0 million. That also has to be considered a disappointment, since the combined star power of Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie, as well as the dearth of competition in the adult thriller niche, had led to expectations of an opening around $25 million. Apparently, pretty faces were not enough to overcome weak word-of-mouth. At least Sony should be able to count on better returns overseas, where Depp and Jolie's names should carry greater weight. (Fox, too, can probably count on overseas receipts to rescue 'Dawn Treader.')

'Tangled' maintained a lock on the family audience, coming in third with an estimated $14.6 million, down just 33 percent from last weekend. In three weeks, Disney's Rapunzel cartoon has taken in $115.6 million.

'Harry Potter' is falling faster. It came in fourth with an estimated $8.5 million, about half what it earned last week, when it was overtaken by 'Tangled.' Still, it's earned $257.7 million in four weeks and could cross $300 million by the time it leaves theaters.

In fifth place, 'Unstoppable' is still nearly that, slowing down just 37 percent this weekend. The runaway train thriller grossed an estimated $3.8 million, for a five-week total of $74.3 million.

On the limited-release front, Mark Wahlberg's Oscar hopeful 'The Fighter' opened with a knockout per-screen average of $80,000 on four screens, for an estimated total of $320,000. That's not quite as much as the 2010 record set two weeks ago by the opening of 'The King's Speech' ($88,862 on each of four screens), but it's enough to edge out 'Black Swan,' which opened last week with a per-screen average of $77,459 at 18 venues. (For comparison's sake, 'Dawn Treader' averaged $6,892 per screen, the biggest per-screen figure of any of the current wide-release movies.)

Still, don't cry for 'Black Swan.' Natalie Portman's Academy-Award-seeking ballet thriller added 72 more screens this weekend and vaulted up to No. 6 on the box office chart with an estimated $3.3 million. That's $37,022 per venue; maybe 'Dawn Treader' and 'Tourist' would have grossed six times as much if they'd featured fragile, tightly wound, bisexual ballerinas.

The full top 10:
1. 'The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader,' $24.5 million (3,555 screens), new release
2. 'The Tourist,' $17.0 million (2,756), new release
3. 'Tangled,' $14.6 million (3,565), $115.6 million total
4. 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I,' $8.5 million (3,577), $257.7 million
5. 'Unstoppable,' $3.81 million (2,967), $74.3 million
6. 'Black Swan,' $3.3 million (90), $5.6 million
7. 'Burlesque,' $3.2 million (2,876), $32.6 million
8. 'Love and Other Drugs,' $3.0 million (2,240), $27.6 million
9. 'Due Date,' $2.55 million (1,990), $94.9 million
10. 'Megamind,' $2.51 million (2,425), $140.2 million

•Follow Gary Susman on Twitter @garysusman.

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Box Office Spotlight: 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1'

The Movie: 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1,' the seventh and next-to-last film in the 'Harry Potter' franchise, directed by David Yates and starring every character actor to ever hail from the United Kingdom.

The Target Audience: Every die-hard, fan and admirer of the most widely appealing series since at least 'Star Wars,' and maybe ever. And their friends and families.

The Competition: Very little, predictably – Hollywood cleared the way for the juggernaut, with only Lionsgate offering 'The Next Three Days' as new counter-programming. It did not end well for 'The Next Three Days,' though it offered Russell Crowe, Liam Neeson, Paul Haggis, and a fun little high concept plot. Nor did it end well for every other film in the top 10, all of which saw at least a 50% drop – more evidence of 'Potter''s insanely broad appeal. For the full lowdown on the weekend's results, check out Moviefone's Box Office Report.

The Number: An estimated $125 million – a franchise record, and the sixth highest opening weekend of all time. The next biggest 'Harry Potter' opening is 'Goblet of Fire' with $102 million; the previous two films each opened in the summer to roughly $75 million, though 'Half-Blood Prince' ultimately ended up out-grossing 'Goblet of Fire.'

The thing about 'Harry Potter' is that far from waning in popularity, it seems to pick up fans as it goes. The first film, Chris Columbus's 'Sorcerer's Stone,' is still the highest-grossing domestically, but the order after that is six-five-four-two-three. 'Deathly Hallows: Part 1' has a good chance of wresting away the crown.

All of which suggests that, even as they count the 'Potter' profits, Warner Bros. and J.K. Rowling's publishers must be in agony over Rowling's unwillingness to write another book, 'Harry Potter' or otherwise. (I hope no one thinks splitting 'Deathly Hallows' into two movies was a purely artistic decision.) It's been over three years since the last book was published (yes, I stood in line), and we've heard nary a peep. That speaks well of Rowling as a woman of her word – she said she was done, and apparently she is – but you can almost hear the worldwide gnashing of teeth.

Staying Power: The total-gross-to-opening-weekend-gross ratio for the 'Harry Potter' films tends to hover around 3, and is itself inversely proportional to the opening weekend number. (In other words, when the movies open huge, the opening weekend ends up being a higher percentage of the total take, which is common.) Based on that, it seems reasonable to project $350 million for 'Deathly Hallows: Part 1.' That would be enough to make it the richest 'Harry Potter' yet.

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'Tangled' Brushes Past 'Harry Potter': Box Office Report December 3-5

No surprise that 'Tangled' brushed past 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I' to take the box office crown. For more striking box office news, you have to look further down the chart, for the stunning thud made by 'The Warrior's Way' (the week's only new wide release) and the astonishing leaps made by Natalie Portman's ballet drama 'Black Swan' during its limited-release debut.

According to studio estimates, 'Tangled' raked in $21.5 million this week, bringing its 12-day total to $96.5 million. Slipping 56 percent from last week, Disney's Rapunzel cartoon was still coasting on unanimously positive word-of-mouth and strong reviews, a more family-friendly rating than 'Deathly Hallows,' and those 3-D surcharges.

'Harry Potter,' which had been showing signs of slowed momentum as early as its second weekend (which was last week, when 'Tangled' came within a hair of beating it), fell faster than 'Tangled,' dropping 66 percent this weekend to an estimated $16.7 million. Still, it should easily pass $250 million in a couple of days, well within three weeks of its release.

Like 'Tangled,' other movies showing an impressively slow decline this weekend were 'Burlesque,' 'Unstoppable' and 'Love and Other Drugs.' 'Burlesque' danced into third place this weekend with an estimated $6.1 million, down just 49 percent from its debut last week. Despite middling reviews, the Cher-Christina Aguliera musical is getting strong word of mouth from its target audience, for whom it delivers on the campy spectacle its ads have promised. Its 12-day total is just shy of $27 million.

'Unstoppable' keeps living up to its name. The runaway train thriller tied for third place with 'Burlesque' with an estimated $6.1 million. (Final numbers released Monday will probably find one or the other pulling ahead.) That's down just 47 percent from last week, for a four-weekend total of $68.9 million.

'Love and Other Drugs' fell just 41 percent in its second weekend. It scored an estimated $5.7 million, good for fifth place. Like 'Burlesque,' it's overcome middling reviews with positive word-of-mouth, strong adult appeal, and plenty of hype over its steaminess. Its 12-day total is $22.6 million.

Hype is what 'The Warrior's Way' could have used more of. The only new movie this week that had even close to a wide release (in 1,622 theaters), the martial arts/western had been sitting on a shelf for nearly three years, had a star and a first-time director unknown in the U.S., opened without screening for critics, and may have confused viewers who didn't know what to expect from its genre-mixing. Plus, it was vying for action fans with the still-popular 'Unstoppable' and even last week's box office disappointment 'Faster,' which at least could boast a familiar leading man in Dwayne Johnson.

About all 'The Warrior's Way' had going for it was a lack of competition from other new wide releases. Predictions ran in the range of $5 million, but the film opened with an estimated $3.1 million, taking the No. 9 spot on the chart.

Just a few rungs down, at No. 13, 'Black Swan' opened with an estimated $1.4 million, an impressive number for just 18 screens. That's a per-screen average of $77,459, a number topped this year only by last week's release of 'The King's Speech' ($88,862 on each of four screens). Both movies are riding a wave of Oscar buzz ('Black Swan' for Portman's performance, 'King's Speech' for Colin Firth's), while 'Black Swan' has also enjoyed months of hype over Portman's torrid on-screen liaison with Mila Kunis. Watch for this one to vault up the chart as it goes nationwide over the next few weeks.

The full top 10:
1. 'Tangled,' $21.5 million (3,603 screens), $96.5 million total
2. 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I,' $16.7 million (4,125), $244.2 million
3. 'Burlesque,' $6.1 million (3,037), $27.0 million
3. 'Unstoppable,' $6.1 million (3,152), $68.9 million
5. 'Love and Other Drugs,' $5.7 million (2,458), $22.6 million
6. 'Megamind,' $5.0 million (3,173), $136.7 million
7. 'Due Date,' $4.2 million (2,450), $91.0 million
8. 'Faster,' $3.8 million (2,470), $18.1 million
9. 'The Warrior's Way,' $3.1 million (1,622), new release
10. 'The Next Three Days,' $2.7 million (2,236), $18.4 million

•Follow Gary Susman on Twitter @garysusman.

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