Box Office: "Book of Secrets" buries competition at b.o.

Weekend of January 5 - 7

“National Treasure: Book of Secrets” topped the North American box office for the third straight weekend with an estimated US$20.2 million.

Walt Disney’s sequel to the 2004 hit “National Treasure” continued to slam its competition, lifting its domestic total to $171 million after a strong three-week run. The Jon Turteltaub-directed adventure starring Nicholas Cage as an ambitious treasure hunter is just $2 million away from surpassing the cumulative gross of its predecessor.   

“I Am Legend” climbed back up to No.2 this weekend, collecting $16.3 million from ticket sales at 3,648 locations. The post-apocalyptic thriller directed by Francis Lawrence and starring Will Smith reached a cumulative of $228.6 million after only four weeks in release.

Jason Reitman’s coming-of-age comedy “Juno” jumped to No. 3 after adding more theatres nationwide last week, earning $16.2 million and lifting its total haul to $52 million. Starring Ellen Page and Michael Cera, the film follows the misadventure of a pregnant 15-year-old who decides to give her baby up for adoption.

Down from No. 2 to No. 3, “Alvin and the Chipmunks” took home $16 million from 3,462 locations. Directed by Tim Hill, the family film based on the popular 1980s cartoon series has taken in a total of 176.6 million after a strong four-week run.

This weekend’s only new release, “One Missed Call,” debuted at No. 5 with $13.5 million despite negative reviews from the nation’s top critics. Directed by Eric Valette and starring Shannyn Sossamon an Edward Burns, the horror thriller follows a group of friends whose lives are threatened by mysterious phone calls.

Mike Nichols’ comedy “Charlie Wilson’s War” dropped to No. 6 with $8.1 million, lifting its total gross to $52 million after three weeks in release. Richard LaGravenese’s romance “P.S. I Love You” followed at No. 7, with a weekend gross of $8 million and a domestic total of $39.3 million.

Three films rounded out the top ten: Jay Russell’s family tale “The Water Horse” with $6.3 million; Tim Burton’s horror musical “Sweeney Todd” with $5.4 million; and Joe Wright’s drama “Atonement” with $5.1 million.

This upcoming weekend, four wide released will challenge “Book of Secrets” for the No. 1 spot.

In David E. Talbert’s comedy “First Sunday,” Ice Cube and Tracy Morgan plan to rob their neighborhood church to help an ex-girlfriend pay off her debt. “First Sunday” is scheduled to hit 2,000 theatres on Friday.

Also opening is “The Pirates Who Don’t Know Anything: A VeggieTales Movie,” an animated family tale about three vegetables who dream of putting on a pirate show.

Director Uwe Boll will also return to the big screen this weekend with “In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale,” an action spectacle based on the popular video game of the same title. Starring Ron Pearlman, Jason Statham and Ray Liotta, the film tells the story of a man who sets out to rescue his kidnapped wife and face an army of ruthless warriors ruled by an evil king.

Finally, Rob Reiner’s drama “The Bucket List” will expand into 2,800 theatres on Friday. Starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman, the movie follows two cancer patients who leave the hospital to travel around the world and do everything they ever wanted to do before they die.

Source: Box Office Mojo - www.boxofficemojo.com