Rank
 Film
 File
 Serial Number
 Essence
1
 Beowulf $28,100,000 $8,912 $28,100,000
2
 Bee
Movie		 $14,300,000 (-44.1%) $3,589 $93,862,000
3
 American Gangster $13,218,000 (-45.0%) $4,250 $100,993,000
4
 Fred
Claus		 $12,000,000 (-35.2%) $3,330 $35,799,000
5
 Mr.
Magorium’s Wonder Emporium		 $10,025,000 $3,168 $10,025,000
6
 Dan
in Real Life		 $4,511,000 (-24.9%) $2,372 $37,099,000
7
 No
Country for Old Men		 $3,098,000 (+152.6%) $20,932 $4,930,000
8
 Lions
for Lambs		 $2,904,000 (-56.7%) $1,310 $11,591,000
9
 Saw
IV		 $2,330,000 (-52.9%) $1,111 $61,848,000
10
 Love
in the Time of Cholera		 $1,915,000 $2,247 $1,915,000


A friend of mine interviewed Robert
Zemeckis (not someone who writes for Chud, BTW) and he called The Polar Express an
Animated movie. Zemeckis told him bluntly that it wasn’t an animated feature,
and the rest of the interview went coldly. So do not make that mistake and call
Beowulf an animated feature. It isn’t. It’s motion captured. And Robert
Zemeckis’ Motion-Captured Beowulf is the #1 film in America.

The film cost $150-160 Million. It is
doubtful that it will make that domestically. Though with The Mist, Hitman,
Enchanted, This Christmas and August Rush (along with I’m Not There and an
expansion of No Country) hitting next weekend, it’s possible that with the
holiday bump Beowulf could hold its title next weekend. Especially with the 3-D
and Imax venues that will likely keep chugging.

Bee Movie and American Gangster are
still kicking butt, and though Bee Movie took the #2 slot over Gangster, it was
the Ridley Scott film that crossed the nine digit mark this weekend. Next
weekend looks weak, again (depends on how well marketed Enchanted is), so I think
these boys will keep chugging.

Fred Claus didn’t take a 50% drop! Hey,
Warner Brothers, you’ve got that. Which is nice. You even topped Mr.
Shitporium. Maybe $50 Million isn’t out of the question. Dare to dream. Dream
about, you know, things. You’re too old to be prom queen, so let that one go,
though. And pitching for the Red Sox. Ooh, I’d give up on sleeping with Lara
Flynn Boyle. And Madchen Amick. And Mila Kunis. And Kristen Stewart, you perv.

Mr. Magorium was written and directed by
the guy who wrote Stranger than Fiction, a film that turned out okay, even with
its third act problems. This slice of whimsy hopefully will be cheap, but Fox
gave it a no-faith opening (hell, they’ve got another movie coming out five
days later), so they let this bitch go. That said, it’s something of a holiday
picture, so they’ve got a marketing angle. I really wish Jason Bateman would be
in a hit film, instead of stuff like this and The Ex. I don’t think it hurts
him, though. I think people give him the benefit. That’s to say, I don’t think
Arrested Development fans give a shit about this. Though I’m sure if they
stumbled on something like this on cable, they might Tivo it. Might.

Hey, No Country topped Lions for Lambs.
Called it. Though LFL didn’t drop under sixty (partly because it was such a
belly flop). So missed it. Dan is holding, while Saw IV looks like it won’t
make it to $70. That won’t stop Saw V, script or no script.

Love in the Time of Chlamydia opened
poorly, but there’s… always… ice cream?