the top ten movies in north america

"Peter T. Chattaway" <petert-LOVM4QxV+tDq6eQxt3vRmLDks+cytr/[email protected]>
Newsgroups gmane.music.dadl.ot
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http://www.boxofficemojo.com/weekend/chart/

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -- Following are ticket sales for the top 10 movies
at the North American box office for the December 17-19 weekend, according
to studio estimates issued Sunday. Final data will be issued Monday.

[***] 1 (+) Tron Legacy ..................... $43.6 million   43.6 million
[***] 2 (+) Yogi Bear ....................... $16.7 million   16.7 million
[***] 3 (1) The Chronicles of Narnia: The ... $12.4 million   42.8 million
       4(19) The Fighter ..................... $12.2 million   12.6 million
[***] 5-(2) The Tourist ...................... $8.7 million   30.8 million
[***] 5-(3) Tangled .......................... $8.7 million  127.8 million
[---] 7 (6) Black Swan ....................... $8.3 million   15.7 million
       8 (+) How Do You Know .................. $7.6 million    7.6 million
[***] 9 (4) Harry Potter and the ... ......... $4.8 million  265.5 million
[***] 10(5) Unstoppable ...................... $1.8 million   77.3 million

NOTE: Last weekend's position in parenthesis. + indicates a new release.
Figures are rounded.

- - -

FWIW, the original Tron grossed $33 million in 1982, so Tron Legacy joins 
the very, very small list of films that have outgrossed their immediate 
predecessors in their first weekend alone.  (The list also includes Austin 
Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, which made $54.9 million in its first 
weekend on its way to a $206 million gross; the original Austin Powers 
grossed only $53.9 million during its entire theatrical run.)

Tron Legacy is also one of only 13 films that have opened to $40 million 
or more in December.  All of the other films finished their theatrical 
runs with at least $200 million, domestically.

http://www.boxofficemojo.com/alltime/weekends/month/?mo=12&p=.htm

Also FWIW, The Fighter has just about outgrossed all of David O. Russell's 
previous films, with the single (major) exception of Three Kings (1999, 
$60.7 million), which was the only other film to get a wide release.

http://www.boxofficemojo.com/people/chart/?view=Director&id=davidorussell.htm

Also FWIW, this is the first time since August 8 that four films in the 
top ten have been in 3D (the four films back then were Step Up 3D, 
Despicable Me, Cats & Dogs 2 and Toy Story 3), and this seems to be the 
first time ever that all three of the top three films were in 3D.  (I've 
only checked as far back as the release of Avatar one year ago, when there 
weren't quite as many 3D screens around as there are nowadays.)

- - -

http://movies.yahoo.com/news/movies.ap.org/tron-legacy-uploads-no-1-with-436m-debut-ap

LOS ANGELES - Jeff Bridges' sci-fi sequel "Tron: Legacy" has leaped to the 
top of the box-office grid with a $43.6 million opening weekend, according 
to studio estimates Sunday.

The Disney release reboots the story line started in Bridges' 1982 tale 
"Tron," in which his character is hurtled into a deadly virtual reality 
known as the Grid. The movie co-stars Garrett Hedlund and Olivia Wilde.

Though quaint by today's standards, the computer-graphic effects in the 
original "Tron" were cutting-edge at the time. Yet the movie was a 
box-office underachiever whose following somehow swelled in the 
intervening decades in a way that perplexed even the studio's executives.

"I sure wish I knew, because there is a very, very committed core group of 
people who just love that movie, and they have fanned the opening-weekend 
grosses," said Chuck Viane, head of distribution for Disney.

Other newcomers premiered with modest to poor receipts, continuing a 
sluggish end to Hollywood's year.

The weekend proved no picnic for Dan Aykroyd's family flick "Yogi Bear," 
which fell flat at a weak No. 2 with $16.7 million. The Warner Bros. 
release features the voices of Aykroyd and Justin Timberlake in an 
adaptation of the TV cartoon about the picnic-basket-thieving bear.

With children out of school over the holidays, Warner Bros. executives 
hope "Yogi Bear" will hold up well through Christmas and New Year's.

"We wish it had been a bit higher, but we'll catch up as we get going," 
said Jeff Goldstein, the studio's general sales manager.

The previous weekend's top movie, 20th Century Fox's "The Chronicles of 
Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader," fell to No. 3 with $12.4 million, 
raising its total to $42.7 million.

Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale's acclaimed boxing drama "The Fighter" 
had a so-so expansion nationwide after a stellar debut in limited release 
the previous weekend for the tale based on the life of real-life fighter 
Micky Ward. Released by Paramount, "The Fighter" came in at No. 4 with 
$12.2 million.

Reese Witherspoon's love-triangle romance "How Do You Know" was a dud with 
just $7.6 million, the Sony release opening at No. 8. The movie co-stars 
Owen Wilson, Paul Rudd and Jack Nicholson.

Overall revenues slipped to $134 million, down 2.6 percent from the same 
weekend last year, when "Avatar" debuted with $77 million on its way to 
becoming the biggest modern blockbuster with a $2.8 billion worldwide 
haul.

Considering the huge gap between the "Avatar" revenues and those for 
"Tron: Legacy," Hollywood's general business held up fairly well because 
of this year's diverse undercard of new movies and holdovers.

"We weren't down that badly," said Paul Dergarabedian, box-office analyst 
for Hollywood.com. "Last year, it was pretty much that one film. `Avatar' 
so heavily dominated that marketplace, which was great for `Avatar,' but 
for the other movies there wasn't much there."

"The King's Speech," a Weinstein Co. release that led Golden Globe 
contenders Tuesday with seven nominations, remained a strong earner as it 
continued its gradual expansion in limited release.

The film starring Colin Firth as Queen Elizabeth II's father, a reluctant 
king coping with a debilitating stammer, took in $1.1 million in 43 
theaters, averaging a healthy $25,000 a cinema.

That compared to a $12,634 average in 3,451 theaters for "Tron: Legacy"; 
$4,752 in 3,515 cinemas for "Yogi Bear"; $4,874 in 2,503 locations for 
"The Fighter"; and $3,061 in 2,483 places for "How Do You Know."

Fox Searchlight's ballet drama "Black Swan," another top Globe nominee 
starring Natalie Portman, climbed the chart as it expanded into nationwide 
release with $8.3 million in 959 theaters, averaging $8,655 and coming in 
at No. 7.

In limited release, Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart's somber drama "Rabbit 
Hole" opened solidly with $55,000 in five theaters, averaging $11,000. The 
film, which earned Kidman a Globe nomination, centers on a couple 
struggling in their marriage after losing their young son in a traffic 
accident.

- - -

http://movies.yahoo.com/news/movies.reuters.com/tron-leads-weak-pack-newcomers-box-office-reuters

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - "Tron: Legacy," a costly 3D sci-fi movie that Walt 
Disney Co has promoted for more than three years, took the top spot at the 
North American box office, but with a disappointing weekend haul of $43.6 
million, according to estimates issued by the company on Sunday.

Industry observers had been expecting a three-day start in the $50 million 
range. As openings go this year, the massively hyped sequel to an obscure 
1982 movie failed to crack the top-10, and observers have said it will 
need to rely on strong overseas business to break even.

According to reports, the effects-laden update cost $170 million to make, 
and more than $100 million to market worldwide. Disney, despite being a 
public company, is the only studio that refuses to divulge budgets. A 
studio executive was not immediately available for comment.

Critics trashed the film, which has occupied the attention of two Disney 
studio regimes in recent years. Jeff Bridges returns to the film as a 
videogame developer trapped in a virtual environment called the Grid. It 
marks the feature directing debut of commercials veteran Joseph Kosinski.

The studio, whose live-action pictures are overshadowed by the hit 
cartoons from its Pixar division, is looking to launch a franchise to take 
over from its popular "Pirates of the Caribbean" series. Just as the 
buccaneer theme-park attraction seemed an unlikely basis for a film 
series, so does "Tron," which appealed only to boys. This time, the studio 
aimed the film at men and women of all ages.

Disney has been offering tantalizing glimpses to movie fans at the annual 
Comic-Con convention since 2008, and has raised the heat in recent months 
with cross-marketing efforts across its theme parks, consumer-products and 
television wings.

Also new was "Yogi Bear," a live-action/animated update of the old 
television cartoon. It came in at No. 2 with $16.7 million, a few million 
dollars short of the expectations of its studio, Warner Bros. But the Time 
Warner Inc unit said it hoped the Christmas holiday would boost business 
among the film's core family audience.

Meanwhile, the weekend's other big new release, "How Do You Know," a 
comedy featuring a high-priced lineup headed by Jack Nicholson and Reese 
Witherspoon, was a major flop. It earned $7.6 million, falling short of 
modest expectations. The ranking was not immediately available. The film 
was released by Columbia Pictures, a unit of Sony Corp.

(Reporting by Dean Goodman; Editing by Vicki Allen)

- - -

http://www.boxofficemojo.com/yearly/chart/?yr=2010&p=.htm

The Domestic Top 25 of 2010 (as of December 19, 2010)

[***] 1  (1) Toy Story 3 (G)                                $415.0 million
[***] 2  (2) Alice in Wonderland (PG)                       $334.2 million
[***] 3  (3) Iron Man 2 (PG-13)                             $312.1 million
[***] 4  (4) The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (PG-13)             $300.5 million
[***] 5  (5) Inception (PG-13)                              $292.5 million
[***] 6  (6) Harry Potter and the Deathly ... (PG-13)       $265.5 million
[***] 7  (7) Despicable Me (PG)                             $250.5 million
[***] 8  (8) Shrek Forever After (PG)                       $238.4 million
[***] 9  (9) How to Train Your Dragon (PG)                  $217.6 million
[***] 10(10) The Karate Kid (PG)                            $176.6 million
[***] 11(11) Clash of the Titans (PG-13)                    $163.2 million
[***] 12(12) Grown Ups (PG-13)                              $162.0 million
[***] 13(13) Megamind (PG)                                  $141.6 million
[***] 14(14) The Last Airbender (PG)                        $131.6 million
[***] 15(15) Shutter Island (R)                             $128.0 million
[***] 16(19) Tangled (PG)                                   $127.8 million
[***] 17(16) The Other Guys (PG-13)                         $119.2 million
[***] 18(17) Salt (PG-13)                                   $118.3 million
[***] 19(18) Jackass 3D (R)                                 $116.9 million
[***] 20(20) Valentine's Day (PG-13)                        $110.5 million
[***] 21(21) Robin Hood (PG-13)                             $105.3 million
[***] 22(22) The Expendables (R)                            $103.1 million
[***] 23(23) Date Night (PG-13)                              $98.7 million
[***] 24(25) Due Date (R)                                    $97.4 million
[***] 25(24) Sex and the City 2 (R)                          $95.3 million

http://www.boxofficemojo.com/yearly/chart/?view2=worldwide&yr=2010&p=.htm

The Worldwide Top 25 of 2010 (as of December 19, 2010)

[***] 1  Toy Story 3 (G)                    415.0 + 648.1 = 1063.1 million
[***] 2  Alice in Wonderland (PG)           334.2 + 690.1 = 1024.3 million
[***] 3  Inception (PG-13)                  292.5 + 532.9 =  825.4 million
[***] 4  Harry Potter and the ... (PG-13)   265.5 + 558.6 =  824.1 million
[***] 5  Shrek Forever After (PG)           238.4 + 499.0 =  737.4 million
[***] 6  The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (PG-13) 300.5 + 392.9 =  693.5 million
[***] 7  Iron Man 2 (PG-13)                 312.1 + 309.6 =  621.8 million
[***] 8  Despicable Me (PG)                 250.5 + 288.5 =  539.0 million
[***] 9  Clash of the Titans (PG-13)        163.2 + 330.0 =  493.2 million
[***] 10 How to Train Your Dragon (PG)      217.6 + 275.6 =  493.2 million
[***] 11 The Karate Kid (PG)                176.6 + 182.1 =  358.7 million
[***] 12 Prince of Persia: The ... (PG-13)   90.8 + 244.4 =  335.2 million
[***] 13 The Last Airbender (PG)            131.6 + 187.3 =  318.9 million
[***] 14 Robin Hood (PG-13)                 105.3 + 208.9 =  314.2 million
[***] 15 Shutter Island (R)                 128.0 + 166.8 =  294.8 million
[***] 16 Resident Evil: Afterlife (R)        60.1 + 234.0 =  294.1 million
[***] 17 Salt (PG-13)                       118.3 + 175.2 =  293.5 million
[***] 18 Sex and the City 2 (R)              95.3 + 193.0 =  288.3 million
[***] 19 The Expendables (R)                103.1 + 171.4 =  274.5 million
[***] 20 Grown Ups (PG-13)                  162.0 + 109.0 =  271.0 million
[***] 21 Knight and Day (PG-13)              76.4 + 185.1 =  261.5 million
[***] 22 Percy Jackson & The ... (PG)        88.8 + 137.7 =  226.4 million
[***] 23 Tangled (PG)                       127.8 +  97.8 =  225.6 million
[***] 24 The Sorcerer's Apprentice (PG)      63.2 + 152.1 =  215.3 million
[***] 25 Valentine's Day (PG-13)            110.5 + 102.5 =  213.0 million

- - -

http://www.boxofficemojo.com/alltime/domestic/

The Domestic Top 10 of All Time (as of December 19, 2010)

[*2*] 1  Avatar (2009)                                      $760.5 million
[*2*] 2  Titanic (1997)                                     $600.8 million
[***] 3  The Dark Knight (2008)                             $533.3 million
[*7*] 4  Star Wars (1977)                                   $461.0 million
[***] 5  Shrek 2 (2004)                                     $441.2 million
[*4*] 6  E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)                  $435.1 million
[*3*] 7  Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)   $431.1 million
[***] 8  Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006)  $423.3 million
[***] 9  Toy Story 3 (2010)                                 $415.0 million
[*2*] 10 Spider-Man (2002)                                  $403.7 million

http://www.boxofficemojo.com/alltime/world/

The Worldwide Top 10 of All Time (as of December 19, 2010)

[*2*] 1  Avatar (2009)                     760.5 + 2019.0 = 2779.6 million
[*2*] 2  Titanic (1997)                    600.8 + 1242.4 = 1843.2 million
[*4*] 3  The Lord of the Rings: ... (2003) 377.0 +  742.1 = 1119.1 million
[***] 4  Pirates of the ... Chest (2006)   423.3 +  642.9 = 1066.2 million
[***] 5  Toy Story 3 (2010)                415.0 +  648.1 = 1063.1 million
[***] 6  Alice in Wonderland (2010)        334.2 +  690.1 = 1024.3 million
[***] 7  The Dark Knight (2008)            533.3 +  468.6 = 1001.9 million
[*2*] 8  Harry Potter and the ... (2001)   317.6 +  657.2 =  974.7 million
[***] 9  Pirates of the ... End (2007)     309.4 +  651.6 =  961.0 million
[***] 10 Harry Potter and the ... (2007)   292.0 +  646.2 =  938.2 million

--- Peter T. Chattaway ------------- http://filmchatblog.blogspot.com/ ---
Nothing tells memories from ordinary moments; only afterwards do they
    claim remembrance, on account of their scars. -- Chris Marker, La Jetee

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