‘Twas Aslan that killed the beast at the North American box office over the weekend as Disney’s and Walden Media’s The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was resurrected to the top spot held by Universal’s King Kong for the past two weeks. With no new major challengers to contend with, both films enjoyed a toothy four-day holiday period, each seeing a marked rise in attendance from the week prior.
Narnia pulled out a narrow victory, earning an estimated $32.8 million since Friday. Bolstered by grassroots Christian support, the $180 million fantasy film raised its four-week domestic take to around $225 million and boasts a worldwide gross of $381 million. The success will no doubt keep plans for sequels afloat as Disney and Walden journey deeper into the world created by author C.S. Lewis.
Kong may have been shot down from his perch, but director/producer Peter Jackson’s high-tech remake is still roaring with a 48% rebound in ticket sales. Worldwide, the monkey movie is no second banana to Narnia, having earned nearly $397 million. In fact, Kong has been a bigger hit overseas than in the states, making good on Universal’s hefty $200 million investment. Perhaps now Jackson will take his own April Fools joke to heart and start looking in earnest at remaking Merian C. Cooper’s and Ernest B. Shoedsack’s follow up, Son of Kong.
While big-budget effects films rule the roost, the New Year has also been good to comedy entries, especially family-themed knee slappers. Sony’s Fun with Dick and Jane starring Jim Carey and Tea Leoni got a much-needed shot in the arm, finishing in third-place with an estimated $21 million. The $100 remake about a husband-wife team turned desperate criminals opened last week to a disappointing $14 million.
Also up from last week’s opening is 20th Century Fox’s Cheaper by the Dozen 2, which landed in fourth place with around $19 million, more than a 100% improvement over its initial draw. It was enough to edge out Sony’s Jennifer Aniston vehicle, Rumor Has It, which pulled in an estimated $11.6 million after limping onto the scene with just $3.4 million last week.
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