Based on Sunday’s estimates, courtesy of boxofficemojo.com:
1) The Pursuit of Happyness: $27 million (Bill Clark: A Don’t Call Me Shirley Joint)
Bill, finally gets to play one of his first two picks, and it’s a doozy, easily putting away the much higher ranked “Charlotte’s Web,” much to my surprise. (Pssst: “Charlotte” is the far better movie. Pass it on.)
2) Eragon: $23.4 million (Jason Zingale, Seven Strangers Productions)
Another huge surprise. The “movie event of the year” is the textbook definition of fun-bad. But that didn’t seem to bother the elves, dwarves and hobbits one bit.
3) Charlotte’s Web: $12 million (Deb Medsker, Punch and Pie Pictures)
Stunning. How did this not wipe the floor with everyone else at the multiplexes? Perhaps this is the audience rebelling to the news that Dakota Fanning is considering a role where her character is raped. Surely, for someone so pure to commit an act so vile, even for a movie, is the first sign of the Apocalypse.
4) Happy Feet: $8.5 million, $149.4 million to date (Mark Pfeiffer, Reel Times)
Perhaps my joke about Reel Times’ stay in second place was a tad premature. He now has a $25 million lead over Punch and Pie.
5) The Holiday: $8.2 million, $25.3 million to date (owner: Mark Pfeiffer, Reel Times Studios)
After two months of boy junk, the women, it appears, are fighting back.
6) Apocalypto: $7.7 million, $27.9 million to date (David Medsker, Scary Clown Studios)
Don’t feel sorry for Mel Gibson. The movie will ultimately make money and as long as his movies do that, Mel will never, ever hurt for work.
7) Blood Diamond: $6.2 million, $18.3 million to date (Kristin Dreyer-Kramer, Nights and Weekends)
Yeah, I wouldn’t want to see a movie starring two of the most beautiful people on the planet, either.
8) Casino Royale: $5.7 million, $137.5 million to date (Steve Wamsley, TSSU Productions)
TSSU still holds a commanding lead, but with one movie left (“The Good Shepherd”), expect it to dwindle.
9) The Nativity Story: $4.7 million, $23 million to date (Mark Pfeiffer, Reel Times)
Insert your own joke here. Because I don’t have one.
10) Unaccompanied Minors: $3.6 million, $10.2 million to date (Kristin Dreyer-Kramer, Nights and Weekends)
The Chicago Sun-Times gave this zero stars. Clearly, that writer was not subjected to the junk (ahem, “Home of the Brave”) that we had been subjected to prior to seeing this movie.
Current standings:
1) TSSU Productions: $250.1 million
2) Reel Times Pictures $197.7 million
3) Punch and Pie Pictures: $172.6 million
4) Scary Clown Studios: $132.2 million
5) Seven Strangers Productions: $121.1 million
6) Nights and Weekends: $97.3 million
7) A Don’t Call Me Shirley Joint: $35.1 million
8) What’s All This, Then?: $5 million
Coming this week: What’s All This, Then? tries to get out of the cellar with “Rocky Balboa” (Wednesday) and “Night at the Museum” (Friday), though he’s not encouraged by the fact that neither movie is particularly good. Scary Clown releases “Letters from Iwo Jima,” though would like to see the studio ramp up the promotional efforts a little bit. Shirley releases the much-anticipated “Dreamgirls,” while NightsandWeekends hangs on for dear life with the sports drama “We Are Marshall.” On Christmas, it’s Dueling Medskers: Scary Clown releases “Children of Men” and Punch and Pie releases “Black Christmas” (which Scary Clown dropped in exchange for “Turistas.” Whoops.)
