With the annual post-Thanksgiving multiplex malaise setting in and just one big new movie (Punisher: War Zone, which I’ll get to later…uh, much later) in theaters, the box office results remarkably resembled those of a week ago.
So, yep, you guessed it: Four Christmases was No. 1 with $18.2 million, according to Sunday’s estimates. That brings the holiday comedy’s two-week sum to a sweet $70.8 mil–and it restores my confidence in Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon as box office draws. For now, at least.
The rest of the top five was comprised of the same movies we’ve been seeing for a while now. Twilight moved back up to the No. 2 spot with a tidy $13.2 mil haul; its three-week sum is $138.6 mil. Bolt (No. 3) followed with $9.7 mil, a huge and surprising 64 percent decline from its impressive Thanksgiving weekend sum. Australia declined 53 percent to bank $7 mil at No. 4. And Quantum of Solace (No. 5) grossed $6.6 mil and crossed the $500 mil mark worldwide.
Among major new releases, the biggest was hardly the baddest: Punisher: War Zone (No. 8) grossed a mere $4 mil in 2,508 theaters, a tally that’s way off from the $13.8 mil that The Punisher premiered with in 2004. More punishment: The Marvel franchise reboot failed to defeat even last week’s action disappointment, Transporter 3 (which was No. 7 with $4.5 mil). Ouch! Meanwhile, the other sorta-substantial new movie, Cadillac Records (No. 9), fared a bit better, bringing in a decent $3.5 mil in 686 locations. But the indie drama Nobel Son failed to take any prize (except, perhaps, that of Box Office Flop of the Week), grossing just $370,575 in 893 venues–a redonkulously low average of $415 per theater.
Nay, the only real news of note came in the ultra-limited-release sphere, where the buzzy drama Frost/Nixon debuted with a tremendous $60,049 average in three theaters in New York, L.A., and Toronto. The Oscar contender will roll out wider in the coming weeks.
Overall, the slow box office was actually up more than 6 percent from the same (even slower) frame a year ago, when The Golden Compass bowed to disappointing returns. That makes this the fifth straight “up” weekend of the fall season, and all things considered, it should be enough to spread some holiday cheer in Hollywood.
More box office news:
Box Office Preview: Bolt to the top?
Four Christmases jingles all the way to the bank
Box Office Preview: Can Twilight hold off Four Christmases and Australia?
Twilight sinks its teeth into a blockbuster debut
Quantum of Solace stirs up a win
Holiday films to receive season’s greetings, beatings
Maybe EW should have devoted countless articles on “Four Christmases” since it has beaten “Twilight” two weeks in a row.
since when is “$3.5 million” decent sales for a movie at the box office.
Seriously. Twilight Central? How about Four Christmases Central? It wasn’t that great, but it was better than the overhyped hilariousness that was Twilight. If Breaking Dawn doesn’t rank as the worst book of the year on your countdown, I will lose my faith in this site.
3.5 mil is decent, considering it only opened at a small number of screens (less than 700). You really have to consider the latter part. If “Cadillac Records” made 3.5 mil on 2,000 screens, then that would definitely warrant a flop.
4 Christmas’s may have beat Twilight two weeks in a row but Twilight has still brought in more than twice the money. It brought in more money the first weekend than Christmas’s has in 2. Also if there were other Christmas movies to see we wouldn’t be seeing 4 Christmas’s at the top of any list, it was dreadful.
I hate christmas movies, but I’d go see Vaughn and Reese 5 times before I’d see Twilight once.
Twilight only made significant money in its opening weekend. Its a poor representation of the book and not worth a second go to the theaters even if you are 14 and in love with the main actor. Four Christmases was entertaining at least. This week brings ‘Day the Earth stood still’,'Doubt’ and ’7 lbs’ so there is light ahead-
EW – I still can’t find a any of your Twilight issues in newsstands, not the 3-version collectors issue nor the later Robert P cover! This is why Twilight Central exists, people – EW fans love it. Go get some Christmas spirit and leave it alone.
Well I was off with the numbers.
Oh well, this weekend i am gonig to go see The Day the Earth Stood Still. Already know this movie is going to be #1.
I just watched a bootleg of Four Christmas’, what a crappy movie. I might have laughed twice, and that’s being generous.
Saw an internet article that Catherine Hardwicke has been fired from the Twilight series and not directing New Moon…. if true, this sounds like truly good news! Nothing against you Catherine (and more power to female directors) I just don’t think it’s for you. New Moon needs to move to the big leagues now. Twilight is breaking the box office it’s doing because of Stephenie Meyer and Robert Pattinson. This goodwill can only carry so far if the 2nd movie is not great.
Four Christmases got an OK review at http://www.fromwhereistand.info but Punisher got REALLY PUNISHED! This site is usually fairly accurate and one I depend on for decent reviews.
Four Christmas’ really sucked. I am shocked it is stil doing so well. I’d rather see Twilight again or Australia any day. They are both worth the time in the theater.
Four Christmases is a pop culture phenomenon!!!!!!!1!!!! The book was the greatest book ever written and Vince Vaughn made me squeal like a pig whenever he came on screen! eeeeeee!
and one again joshua rich neglects to mention how off he was: he had bolt at number 1 with 17 million – but it was actually at number 3 at 9.7 million.