Nightmare Does Scary Biz in 3D

Disney’s stereoscopic 3D version of Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas scared up an impressive $3.28 million in just 168 theaters over the weekend, averaging nearly $20,000 per screen. The film debuted at No. 12 but would have surely made the top 10 had it opened wider. Though its berth is limited by the number of theaters equipped for 3D projection, it could stand to add some engagements this weekend to fully take advantage of the Halloween holiday.

Converted to 3D by leading vfx house Industrial Light & Magic, The Nightmare Before Christmas is back in cinemas for the first time since its 1993 debut. Its performance in limited release shows that the film has potential as a theatrical tradition that could have legs throughout the holiday season since the storyline interweaves Halloween and Christmas.

Nightmare‘s biggest weekend competition was Sony’s Open Season, which is hanging tight at No. 4 in its fourth week of release. The CG family flick earned an estimated $8 million to bring its grand total to nearly $70 million. By the end of its theatrical run, the movie should recover most, if not all, of its $85 million production budget and turn a tidy profit on home video in a few months.

The top-grossing movie in North America was Buena Vista’s period thriller The Prestige, which stars Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale as rival magicians who become engaged in a deadly game of one-upsmanship. The film earned an estimated $14.8 million, edging Warner Bros.’ The Departed out of the No. 1 spot. The Martin Scorsese crime pic slipped to No. 2 in its second week with approximately $13.6 million and a cumulative take of just over $77 million.

Clint Eastwood’s Flags of Our Fathers offered a disappointing third-place start for DreamWorks and Paramount. The $90 examination of WWII heroism brought in an estimated $10.2 million in its debut outing but may get extended mileage come Oscar time. Rounding out the top five is 20th Century Fox’s modestly budgeted live-action family film Flicka, which rode off with approximately $7.7 million.