Disney’s adaptation of the classic Jules Verne tale, Around the World in 80 Days, enters a competitive weekend at the North American box office. The Jackie Chan vehicle arrived in theaters on Wednesday to get a jump on the numbers game but only managed a seventh place opening with $1.4 million. Now it’s not only up against holdovers Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, The Chronicles of Riddick, Shrek 2, Garfield: The Movie and The Stepford Wives, but also DreamWorks’ Steven Spielberg-directed dramedy, The Terminal, starring Ton Hanks, and Twentieth Century Fox’s comedy Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, with Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn.
In Around the World in 80 Days, Chan is a Chinese thief who hooks up with an eccentric Victorian inventor (Steve Coogan) attempting to circumvent the globe via various contraptions. In addition to a slew of celebrity cameos, the film features visual effects by Rhythm & Hues, Jim Henson’s Creature Shop, Cinesite and Moving Picture Co., produced under the watch of visual effects supervisor Derek Spears (Daredevil, The Sum of All Fears).
Given Harry Potter‘s steep 63% drop-off in its second weekend, there may be some room for new family fare like Around the World this weekend. Still, the momentum for DreamWorks’ Shrek 2 should continue as audiences return for repeat viewings. Twentieth Century Fox’s Garfield may also steal some of World‘s thunder in its second week.
