Saturday Box Office: Treasure Down, Headed For $50M; Charlie Beats Sweeney

By Steve Mason/Dec. 23, 2007 9:33 am EST

My sources are telling me that today (Sunday) will play more like a Saturday but to keep in mind that many moviegoers are wrapping up their Christmas shopping. Given that, I am penciling in a 5% Sunday drop, which would put Treasure right at $50M for the 3-day runup to the holiday. That’s down from my original Early 3-Day Estimate released Friday night ($59.2M), but will still mark the best opening weekend of Cage’s career (Scroll down to read my Friday Night report).

I Am Legend (Warner Bros) continues to hold strong with an estimated $12.9M on Saturday and a likely $35.58M for the weekend. The surprise blockbuster Alvin & the Chipmunks (Fox) is 3rd for the day with $11.2M and for the 3-day with $30.5M. That lifts the live action/animation hybrid past the $75M mark in domestic sales.

The Tom Hanks/Julia Roberts Michael Nichols-directed Charlie Wilson’s War (Universal) was 4th on Saturday, but failed to catch Sweeney Todd (Dreamworks/Paramount) in the weekend race. Charlie was up 36% to $3.8M on its 2nd day, while the clearly frontloaded Sweeney slumped by 11% to $3.4M. The Tim Burton-directed Sondheim film adaptation will have banked $10.1M by Sunday night, compared to the Aaron Sorkin-written political yarn which will finish the weekend with $9.9M.

Very quiet on the specialty front, but Jessica Simpson’s Blonde Ambition (First Look) remains an embarassment for Dalas Cowboy quarterback Tony Romo’s current “squeeze.” The film had a Per Theatre Average of just $62 on its 8 screens in Texas on Saturday. That equates to about 8 tickets sold at each location, and the movie will finish the weekend with $1,251 and a 3-day PTA of $227. That’s a disaster for the woman being called the “Yoko Ono of the Dallas Cowboys.”

EXCLUSIVE FANTASY MOGULS EARLY SATURDAY ESTIMATES

  1. NEW – National Treasure: Book of Secrets (Disney) – $16,899,300, $4,410 PTA [$33,969,300 cume]

  2. I Am Legend (Warner Bros) – $12,916,800, $3,568 PTA – [$127,221,800 cume]

  3. Alvin & the Chipmunks (Fox) – $11,272,800, $3,222 PTA – [$75,679,800 cume]

  4. NEW – Charlie Wilson’s War (Universal) – $3,814,800, $1,482 PTA [$6,619,800 cume]

  5. NEW – Sweeney Todd (Dreamworks/Paramount) – $3,426,500, $2,743 PTA [$7,276,500 cume]

  6. NEW – P.S. I Love You (Warner Bros) – $2,265,600, $923 PTA [$4,625,600 cume]

  7. The Golden Compass (New Line) – $1,752,000, $593 PTA [$47,390,000 cume]

  8. Enchanted (Disney) – $1,637,500, $595 PTA [$97,085,500 cume]

  9. NEW – Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (Sony) – $1,519,800, $574 PTA [$3,009,800 cume]

  10. Atonement (Focus) – $798,000, $2,687 PTA [$5,135,000cume]

  11. No Country for Old Men (Miramax) – $705,600, $577 PTA [$36,203,600 cume]

*The Kite Runner (Paramount Vantage) – $480,000, $1,273 PTA [$1,501,000 cume]

*The Diving Bell & the Butterfly (Miramax) – $50,400, $1,527 PTA [$371,060 cume]

*NEW – Steep (Sony Classics) – $8,055, $474 PTA [$16,810 cume] ]

*NEW – Blond Ambition (First Look) – $495, $62 PTA [$879 cume] ]

*NEW – Flakes (IFC Films) – $495, $62 PTA [$879 cume]

EXCLUSIVE FANTASY MOGULS REVISED 3-DAY ESTIMATES

  1. NEW – National Treasure: Book of Secrets (Disney) – $50,023,635, $12,787 PTA [$49,000,000 cume]

  2. I Am Legend (Warner Bros) – $35,581,920, $9,829 PTA – [$138,846,920 cume]

  3. Alvin & the Chipmunks (Fox) – $30,521,960, $8,723 PTA – [$86,388,960 cume]

  4. NEW – Sweeney Todd (Dreamworks/Paramount) – $10,189,025, $8,158 PTA [$10,189,025 cume]

  5. NEW – Charlie Wilson’s War (Universal) – $9,900,528, $3,846 PTA [$9,900,528 cume]

  6. NEW – P.S. I Love You (Warner Bros) – $6,641,984, $2,707 PTA [$6,641,984 cume]

  7. The Golden Compass (New Line) – $4,423,680, $1,498 PTA [$48,861,680 cume]

  8. Enchanted (Disney) – $4,361,250, $1,585 PTA [$98,559,250 cume]

  9. NEW – Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (Sony) – $4,301,630, $1,623 PTA [$4,301,630 cume]

  10. Atonement (Focus) – $2,009,280, $6,765 PTA [$5,821,280 cume]

  11. No Country for Old Men (Miramax) – $1,785,360, $1,461 PTA [$36,803,360 cume]

*The Kite Runner (Paramount Vantage) – $1,198,400 $3,179 PTA [$1,899,400 cume]

*The Diving Bell & the Butterfly (Miramax) – $123,744, $3,750 PTA [$414,404 cume]

*NEW – Steep (Sony Classics) – $22,448, $1,320 PTA [$$22,448 cume]

*NEW – Blonde Ambition (First Look) – $1,251, $156 PTA [$1,251 cume]

*NEW – Flakes (IFC Films) – $227, $227 PTA [$227 cume]

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