Happy Feet stomps 007
2006-11-27 09:28
Los Angeles - The tap-dancing penguin of Happy Feet trod over the newest 007 flick Casino Royale for a second straight weekend, with its total take since opening topping $100m, industry estimates said on Sunday.
The animated kids film sold an estimated $37.9m in tickets in the United States and Canada over the three-day weekend, according to box office tracker Exhibitor Relations, leading the field as it did in its debut last week.
Exhibitor Relations said its five-day gross - for the period including the US Thanksgiving holiday on Thursday - hit $51.6m, taking its estimated total since opening to $100.1m.
Meanwhile Casino Royale, which sports Daniel Craig in his first appearance as British super-sleuth James Bond, registered solid sales at the weekend box, tallying $31m for the three-day weekend and $45.1m over five days, taking its total since debuting last week to a respectable $94.2m, the company said.
New releases Deja Vu and Deck the Halls took third and fourth respectively on the weekend North American box office.
With Hollywood star Denzel Washington in the lead, Deja Vu pulled in $29m over the five days, and Christmas comedy Deck the Halls earned $16.9m.
Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan - dropped to fifth with $15.4m earned over the five day period.
Borat's total since opening broke through the $100m barrier at $109.3m.
The rest of the five-day period's top ten: The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause ($13.8m); Stranger Than Fiction ($8.4m); Flushed Away ($7.7m); Bobby ($6.0m); and The Fountain ($5.4m).
Exhibitor Relations said the weekend's top 12 films grossed an estimated $208m over the five-day period, down from $215.4m for the same period last year, when the region's screens were saturated with the hit Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.