Not even the cat-like moves of star Charlize Theron could put Paramount Pictures’ Aeon Flux past the Warner Bros. blockbuster Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. The latest pubescent wizard adventure continued its winning streak for the third consecutive weekend, picking up an estimated $20.4 million to bring its domestic take to nearly $230 million.
The only major release to challenge Goblet, the $60 million Aeon Flux debuted to just $13 million. Despite the gutsy placement, Paramount didn’t exhibit much faith in the film, keeping it from the eyes of critics prior to its bow. One area that may have received high marks is the vfx work by Digital Domain, The Orphanage, Hydraulx and CIS Hollywood. The studios were charged with the daunting task of matching the dazzling visuals of Peter Chung’s 1995 animated MTV series which inspired the big-screen actioner.
Fox’s Johnny Cash biopic, Walk the Line, remains strong at No. 3 with around $10 million for the weekend and a three-week haul nearing $70 million. Other Potter scraps were snatched up by Paramount’s Yours, Mine and Ours, which made an estimated $8.4 million for a fourth place finish, and New Line’s Just Friends, rounding out the top five with around $5.6 million.
The reign of Harry Potter is likely to come to an end this coming weekend as Disney and Walden Media unleash their big-budget, vfx-laden adaptation of C.S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Read about the film’s extensive digital effects work by ILM, Sony Pitures Imageworks and Rhythm & Hues in the December issue of Animation Magazine, available now at Barnes & Noble and other fine booksellers.
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