Despite all the hype surrounding the revitalized James Bond franchise, Warner Bros.’ animated Happy Feet claimed the top spot at the North American box office over the weekend. The CG feature about musical penguins danced its way to an estimated $42.3 million since opening Friday, beating Sony’s Casino Royale by nearly $2 million, according to early figures.
Directed by George Miller (Babe: Pig in the City, Mad Max), Happy Feet is the story of Mumble, a young penguin who can’t carry a tune and has to rely on fancy footwork to attract a mate in a society were singing is key. Elijah Wood from the Lord of the Rings films voices the main character and is joined in the film by Hugh Jackman, Nicole Kidman, Brittany Murphy, Robin Williams, Hugo Weaving, and Carlos Alazraqui, among others. Animation production was primarily handled in Australia by Animal Logic, with Rhythm & Hues and Giant Killer Robots in the U.S. lending a hand.
Opening late in a year that has seen more than a dozen animated critter pics hit the screen, Happy Feet proved that audiences aren’t suffering from toon fatigue, as many have suggested considering the lackluster openings of other recent animated releases. Warner Bros. can look forward to a good week to come as kids get out of school for the Thanksgiving holiday and file into theaters for some PG-rated fun.
New Bond Daniel Craig led Casino Royale to a second-place finish with an estimated $40.6 million. Featuring visual effects by Cinesite, MPC, Peerless Camera Company, Double Negative and Framestore-CFC, the action flick racked up a hefty budget of around $150 million, which will easily be recouped by foreign receipts. A certified blockbuster in the U.K., the latest 007 outing has already made approximately $42 million overseas, bringing its worldwide gross to about $82.8 million.
After spending two weeks at the top of the charts, 20th Century Fox’s Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan slipped to No. 3 in its third week. According to estimates, the comedy earned another $14 million to bring its gross to around $90.5 million domestically and $135 million worldwide. Reportedly made for just $18 million, the surprise hit from comedian Sacha Baron Cohen is one of the most profitable films in history.
Buena Vista’s The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause dropped from No. 2 to No.4 in its third week, earning an additional $8.2 million (est.). Rounding out the top five is DreamWorks’ and Aardman’s Flushed Away, which has brought in around $48.8 million since opening three weeks ago. The CG acomedy about adventurous rats has begun rolling out in select foreign markets, earning around $6 million aborad so far with major territories still to come.
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