Alexander loses box-office war

With Alexander mortally wounded in the first round, and Christmas With The Kranks not tickling enough funny bones, last week's champ National Treasure held on to its position with an impressive $32 million over the Thanksgiving weekend.

The Thanksgiving holiday week brought luck to most films, particularly those aimed at the young. In fact, all the five top grossing films were family movies. 

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What was more impressive about National Treasure holding the top position is that it eased by just about 6 percent in its second weekend, thumbing its nose at pundits predicting it would fall sharply after an initial excitement. Most successful films decline by about 40 percent in their second week.

Also impressive was the $20-million gross (and a surprisingly 28 percent upswing) for Polar Express. Though this doesn't mean the movie is a hit, it shows the $160-million film is far from the train wreck most people had expected it to be.

The second highest grossing film of the week, The Incredibles, reached an impressive total of $214 million, and lost just a tiny 9 percent of the audiences.

It was followed by Christmas With The Kranks. Reviled by most major critics as a mirthless and unrealistic story about a couple harassed by their neighbours because they won't celebrate Christmas, the film nevertheless psyched about $32 million since its mid-week opening. With that number, there is a good chance that it will survive in the over-crowded market and earn a decent profit.

The fifth movie on the chart is also a family film, though the television show it is based on also enjoys great appeal among college students. The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie came down by about 44 percent in its second week, but still grossed a strong $58 million in less than two weeks.

Losing the war in its opening week, the $150-million Alexander conquered a measly $21.6 million in five days. Oliver Stone's historical epic with awesome battle scenes but little emotional content received some of the worst reviews of the year. Still, the film could be a big international success like King Arthur, which was a loser in America. However, recovering its great investment, and the ridiculous $100 million spent on publicity, is a task Alexander won't find easy.

One of the biggest gains of the week was made by Finding Neverland, which added 456 theatres, taking its count to 513, far short of the 3,200-plus theatres each of the top five films enjoyed. The film, starring Johnny Depp as playwright Sir James Barrie (whose Peter Pan has become a classic), grossed about $4 million and found itself at the eight position on the chart. It was the first time that the film, which opened three weeks ago on a handful of screens, broke into the top 10.

The Depp film, which cost just about $25 million, should not have a problem making profit. It has already earned about $8 million in the United Kingdom, and reviews have been rather appreciative overall.

Opening outside the top 10 listing but with distinct force, the $57-million French drama, A Very Long Engagement, earned a strong $106,001 at just four theatres. The R-rated movie stars Audrey Tautou (Amelie) as a young woman searching for her lover after he disappears during World War I, and has received decent reviews.

Box-office collections will nosedive in the next three weeks, with families busy with Christmas shopping and students getting ready for exams. But, in the third week of December, they will pick up sharply and stay that way for the next 10 days.  

Box-office estimates for North America, November 26-28