It may not have opened as strongly as Gibson's last film, The Passion of the Christ, but it did climb all the way to the top of the box office dog pile. Mel's Mayan actioner, Apocalypto, was the strongest film of the weekend. Perhaps Mel's career isn't in a complete state of disrepair, but enough about that, a topic that has already been beaten to death. Unfortunately, I have not yet had the opportunity to see the film, but it does look like a lot of fun. I also hear it is full of action, blood, and gore, sounds like it is right up my alley. I do like to see a director take an approach that is a little outside the mainstream and successully bring it to a mass audience, not that Mel is the only one to do this, but it does give hope for the future.Three other new releases entered the ranks this week. Among those top ten rookies is The Holiday, the romantic holiday film from the director of What Women Want placed third. I am intrigued by the use of Jack Black as one of the romantic leads, but I cannot say that the film particularly excites me, it just looks like something I have seen before.
Move on down to fifth and you will find the latest film starring Leonardo Dicaprio, who seems to have a new film every December. This is the second film in the past couple of months that someone has said is the best film of the year, this one is called Blood Diamond. It takes you inside the brutal and bloody way that diamonds have changed hands amidst conflict. I hear the real revelation is Djimon Hounsou in a supporting role. Hopefully he will get some recognition as I have seen him in a few things, and he has incredible screen presence.
The last new entry is the holiday for kids movie, Unaccompanied Minors. I cannot say that this looks particularly enticing, but it does feature Lewis Black as a security guard, that has to count for something. It also brings Tyler James Williams to the big screen, he is a guy to watch as he is excellent as the young Chris Rock on Everybody Hates Chris.
Happy Feet continues to show strong legs, it didn't finish number one, for the first time since it opened, but it still a strong draw for the family crowd, moreso than any of the other family releases this season. Casino Royale suffered the biggest dip of its four weeks, but still seems to be rather popular, and rightly so, it is a smart action film and one of the best Bonds in decades. Then there is The Nativity Story, it isn't exactly tearing it up at the multiplex, but it did have a decent take this week, not dropping as much as I had suspected from last week.
Four films dropped from the list this week: Borat (11), Stranger Than Fiction (12), Turistas (13), and National Lampoon's Van Wilder: The Rise of Taj (15).
This Week | Last Week | Title | Wknd Gross | Overall | Week in release |
| 1 | N | Apocalypto | $15,005,604 | $15,005,604 | 1 |
| 2 | 1 | Happy Feet | $12,904,413 | $137,932,841 | 4 |
| 3 | N | The Holiday | $12,778,913 | $12,778,913 | 1 |
| 4 | 2 | Casino Royale | $8,926,207 | $129,020,082 | 4 |
| 5 | N | Blood Diamond | $8,648,324 | $8,648,324 | 1 |
| 6 | 3 | Deja Vu | $6,019,672 | $52,995,929 | 3 |
| 7 | N | Unaccompanied Minors | $5,815,474 | $5,815,474 | 1 |
| 8 | 4 | The Nativity Story | $5,713,854 | $15,907,450 | 2 |
| 9 | 5 | Deck the Halls | $3,993,188 | $30,144,903 | 3 |
| 10 | 6 | The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause | $3,254,729 | $77,184,019 | 6 |
Box Office Predictions Recap
Mel Gibson took his Mayan language actioner to the top of the charts, and I got it placed wrong. I may have only gotten two placings right, a couple of middle placing flicks, but I did surprisingly well with a number of the grosses, quite possibly the best that I have ever done! I placed closs dollar figures for Apocalypto, The Holiday, Unaccompanied Minors, Deck the Halls, and Santa Clause 3. Now you may bask in the glow of my glorious luck until next week......
Actual | Prediction | Title | Wknd Gross | Prediction |
| 2 | 1 | Happy Feet | $12,904,413 | $16 million |
| 1 | 2 | Apocalypto | $15,005,604 | $15 million |
| 4 | 3 | Casino Royale | $8,926,207 | $13 million |
| 3 | 4 | The Holiday | $12,778,913 | $12 million |
| 5 | 5 | Blood Diamond | $8,648,324 | $9.5 million |
| 6 | 6 | Deja Vu | $6,019,672 | $7 million |
| 7 | 7 | Unaccompanied Minors | $5,815,474 | $5 million |
| 9 | 8 | Deck the Halls | $3,993,188 | $4 million |
| 10 | 9 | The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause | $3,254,729 | $3 million |
| 12 | 10 | Stranger than Fiction | $1,425,717 | $2 million |
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