Friday Box Office: Enchanted With $4.9M; Savages And Diving Bell Strong

By Steve Mason/Dec. 1, 2007 2:20 am EST

The weekend after Thanksgiving is traditionally a rough 3-day for the movie business, and 2007 is no exception. The Top 12 movies are on track for just over $78M, down 4% from the same weekend last year, when the top 3 movies were Happy Feet, Casino Royale and Déjà Vu. Overall, this year’s post-Thanksgiving weekend haul will likely be the 6th-best in the past 10 years and slightly above the $77.1M 10-year rolling average for the first weekend in December.

The surprise hit This Christmas (Sony) is 3rd for the day with $2.4M and will finish in the same spot for the weekend with $7.8M, with Fred Claus (Warner Bros) and Hitman (Fox) will round out the top 5.

The new medical thriller Awake (MGM), starring Jessica Alba and Hayden Christensen, managed to dredge up $2M on its first day of business, good for a 4th-place finish. It wasn’t screened for critics, for good reason, and it will be very front-loaded. Awake could finish as low as #7 for the weekend with but it could conceivably outpace August Rush (Warner Bros) for 6th.

Good news for Julian Schnabel’s The Diving Bell & the Butterfly (Miramax) with a weekend PTA of $26,000 or so. The Cannes Film Festival winner will be helped by specialty box office success to go along with all of those rave reviews. Diving Bell is a possible Oscar nominee for Best Picture, Best Director (Schnabel), Best Actor (Mathieu Amalric), Best Supporting Actor (Max Von Sydow) and Best Adapted Screenplay (Ronald Harwood).

Meanwhile, the poorly-reviewed Sex & Breakfast, which is being independently distributed, fared well on its first day at the Sunset 5 in West Hollywood. With a cast that includes Macauley Culkin and Eliza Dushku, the Miles Brandman-written and directed ensemble relationship comedy managed just over $2,100 on Friday, and it has a shot at a weekend in the $7,000 range.

EXCLUSIVE FANTASY MOGULS EARLY FRIDAY ESTIMATES

  1. Enchanted (Disney) – $4.9M – $1,314 PTA – $58.4M cume

  2. Beowulf (Dreamworks/Paramount) – $2.7M – $831 PTA – $63.4M cume

  3. This Christmas (Sony) – $2.4M – $1,292 PTA – $30.8M cume

  4. NEW – Awake (MGM) – $2M – $999 PTA – $2M cume

  5. Hitman (Fox) – $1.9M – $770 PTA – $26.3M cume

  6. August Rush (Warner Bros) – $1.69M – $735 PTA – $16.9M cume

  7. Fred Claus (Warner Bros) – $1.65M – $482 PTA – $55.9M cume

  8. No Country for Old Men (Miramax) – $1.33M – $1,340 PTA – $19.8M

  9. American Gangster (Universal) – $1.33M – $493 PTA – $118.7M cume

  10. The Mist (MGM/Weinstein) – $1.25M – $517 PTA – $16.2M cume

  11. Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium (Fox) – $1.24M – $437 PTA – $24.3M cume

  12. Bee Movie (Dreamworks/Paramount) – $1.15M – $365 PTA – $114.3M cume

*Dan in Real Life (Disney) – $535,000 – $355 PTA – $43.2M cume

*Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead (Thinkfilm) – $225,000 – $745 PTA – $3.9M

*I’m Not There (MGM/Weinstein) – $133,000 – $964 PTA – $1.3M

*Lions for Lambs (MGM/UA) – $125,000 – $152 PTA – $14.2M cume

*Margot at the Wedding (Paramount Vantage) – $58,956 – $1,684 PTA – $719,000 cume

*NEW â€" The Diving Bell & the Butterfly (Miramax) – $21,123 – $7,041 PTA – $21,123 cume

*Romance & Cigarettes (Independent) – $10,377 – $1,153 PTA – $225,500 cume

*Starting Out in the Evening (Roadside Attractions) – $9,360 – $1,170 PTA – $112,000 cume

*What Would Jesus Buy (Independent) – $5,990 – $599 PTA – $57,000 cume

*NEW â€" Sex & Breakfast (Independent) – $2,103 – $2,103 PTA – $2,103 cume

*NEW â€" The Rocket (Palm) – $137 – $137 PTA – $137 cume

EXCLUSIVE FANTASY MOGULS EARLY 3-DAY ESTIMATES

  1. Enchanted (Disney) – $17.6M – $4,718 PTA – $71.1M cume

  2. Beowulf (Dreamworks/Paramount) – $8.37M – $2,576 PTA – $69.1M cume

  3. This Christmas (Sony) – $7.8M – $4,198 PTA – $36.2M cume

  4. Fred Claus (Warner Bros) – $6.6M – $1,930 PTA – $60.8M cume

  5. Hitman (Fox) – $5.9M – $2,391 PTA – $30.3M cume

  6. August Rush (Warner Bros) – $5.6M – $2,426 PTA – $20.8M cume

  7. NEW – Awake (MGM) – $5.5M – $2,747 PTA – $5.5M cume

  8. No Country for Old Men (Miramax) – $4.79M – $4,823 PTA – $23.3M

  9. American Gangster (Universal) – $4.25M – $1,578 PTA – $121.7M cume

  10. Bee Movie (Dreamworks/Paramount) – $4.02M – $1,278 PTA – $117.1M cume

  11. Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium (Fox) – $3.99M – $1,398 PTA – $27M cume

  12. The Mist (MGM/Weinstein) – $3.69M – $1,524 PTA – $18.7M cume

*Dan in Real Life (Disney) – $1.73M – $1,155 PTA – $44.4M cume

*Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead (Thinkfilm) – 825,000 – $2,732 PTA – $4.5M

*I’m Not There (MGM/Weinstein) – $440,000 – $3,188 PTA – $1.6M

*Lions for Lambs (MGM/UA) – $410,000 – $497 PTA – $14.5M cume

*Margot at the Wedding (Paramount Vantage) – $222,000 – $6,343 PTA – $882,000 cume

*NEW â€" The Diving Bell & the Butterfly (Miramax) – $78,000 – $26,000 PTA – $78,000 cume

*Romance & Cigarettes (Independent) – $36,000 – $4,000 PTA – $251,000 cume

*Starting Out in the Evening (Roadside Attractions) – $35,000- $4,375 PTA – $138,000 cume

*What Would Jesus Buy (Independent) – $20,000 – $2,000 PTA – $71,000 cume

*NEW â€" Sex & Breakfast (Independent) – $7,045 – $7,045 PTA – $7,045 cume

*NEW â€" The Rocket (Palm) – $500 – $500 PTA – $500 cume

EXCLUSIVE FANTASY MOGULS EARLY FRIDAY PTA ESTIMATES

  1. NEW â€" The Diving Bell & the Butterfly (Miramax) â€" 3 locations – $7,041 PTA

  2. NEW â€" Sex & Breakfast (Independent) â€" 1 location – $2,103 PTA

  3. Margot at the Wedding (Paramount Vantage) â€" 35 locations – $1,684 PTA

  4. No Country for Old Men (Miramax) â€" 995 locations – $1,340 PTA

  5. Enchanted (Disney) â€" 3,730 locations – $1,314 PTA

  6. This Christmas (Sony) â€" 1,858 locations – $1,292 PTA

  7. Starting Out in the Evening (Roadside Attractions) â€" 8 locations – $1,170 PTA

  8. Romance & Cigarettes (Independent) â€" 9 locations – $1,153 PTA

  9. NEW – Awake (MGM) â€" 2,002 locations – $999 PTA

EXCLUSIVE FANTASY MOGULS EARLY 3-DAY PTA ESTIMATES

  1. NEW â€" The Diving Bell & the Butterfly (Miramax) â€" 3 locations – $26,000 PTA

  2. NEW â€" Sex & Breakfast (Independent) â€" 1 location – $7,045 PTA

  3. Margot at the Wedding (Paramount Vantage) â€" 35 locations – $6,343 PTA

  4. No Country for Old Men (Miramax) â€" 995 locations – $4,823 PTA

  5. Enchanted (Disney) â€" 3,730 locations – $4,718 PTA

  6. Starting Out in the Evening (Roadside Attractions) â€" 8 locations – $4,375 PTA

  7. This Christmas (Sony) â€" 1,858 locations – $4,198 PTA

  8. Romance & Cigarettes (Independent) â€" 9 locations – $4,000 PTA

  9. I’m Not There (MGM/Weinstein) â€" 138 locations – $3,188 PTA

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