Box Office Update 12/11-12/13: Disney Tops the Box with The Princess and the Frog

After its three week trip to the top, The Blind Side is back to its familiar second place on the top ten. It may have slipped back down a bit, but its take was still more than respectable and reflects a mere 25% drop from last week. The film has proven to be quite the surprise hit. The inspirational drama sits on the cusp of $150 million as the weekend came to an end against a budget of $29 million. Not a bad profit, no? To think, I still don't have much interest in seeing it.

Topping this week's chart is The Princess and the Frog. It was pretty much a foregone conclusion that the movie was going to take the top spot, but there is still something nice about seeing it. The film is the first cell-animated feature from Disney in years. I have not seen it and cannot speak to how good it is, but still it is Disney returning to the medium that brought them fame and fortune. The movie has a good look, but the story strikes me as typical. Whatever the case, I am looking forward to it and hope that it is a sign of future projects to run alongside the great Pixar CG movies.

Invictus finished third place in its debut frame. The sports/political drama is a solid film that will make you smile. The performances by the two leads, Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon, are solid and director Clint Eastwood knows how to ring everything out of a scene. It is not nearly as good as other recent outings, but there is no doubt it is the result of a skilled hand. The film may have finished third, but its $8.6 million take has to be considered a disappointment. It will be interesting to see if it has any legs in upcoming weeks.

Looking down the rest of the list, I cannot say it is all that exciting. None of the films dropped all that much. Next week will be much more interesting as Avatar arrives on the big screen. The James Cameron film has been highly anticipated for some time and its time is nearly here. The expensive science fiction adventure has had a wave of positive press as it begins its red carpet events around the world. I really hope it delivers as I have not been all that impressed with the trailers.

Also arriving next weekend is the Sarah Jessica Parker/Hugh Grant film Have You Heard About the Morgans?. The comedy centers on a married couple on the ropes sent to live in the sticks after witnessing a murder.

Two movies dropped off the list this week: Planet 51 (12) and Everybody's Fine (13).

This Week	Last Week	Title	Wknd Gross	Overall	Week in release
1	16	The Princess and the Frog	$24,208,916	$27,088,786	3
2	1	The Blind Side	$15,055,258	$149,816,797	4
3	N	Invictus	$8,611,147	$8,611,147	1
4	2	The Twilight Saga: New Moon	$7,960,394	$267,320,977	4
5	4	A Christmas Carol 3D	$6,833,190	$124,426,097	6
6	3	Brothers	$5,014,426	$17,416,217	2
7	5	Old Dogs	$4,409,772	$39,996,273	3
8	6	2012	$4,351,565	$155,288,405	5
9	7	Armored	$3,504,374	$11,750,895	2
10	8	Ninja Assassin	$2,707,470	$34,304,761	3

Box Office Predictions Recap
Aside from my overestimation of Invictus, I did a pretty good. Most of my guesses were right in the ballpark. Sure, the overall box office could have used a little more juice, but it is December and in the throes of the Christmas season and we are a week out from the most anticipated film of the month. All of that said, I am pleased with the turnout. I am not really surprised about Invictus, it is not exactly a crowd pleaser sort of movie.

Here is how the field matched up:

Actual	Prediction	Title	Wknd Gross	Prediction
1	1	The Princess and the Frog	$24,208,916	$32 million
3	2	Invictus	$8,611,147	$16 million
2	3	The Blind Side	$15,055,258	$14 million
4	4	The Twilight Saga: New Moon	$7,960,394	$8 million
6	5	Brothers	$5,014,426	$5.25 million
5	6	A Christmas Carol 3D	$6,833,190	$4 million
7	7	Old Dogs	$4,409,772	$3.5 million
8	8	2012	$4,351,565	$3 million
9	9	Armored	$3,504,374	$2.75 million
10	10	Ninja Assassin	$2,707,470	$2.5 million