Nicolas Cage may be running out of
storage room for his loot.
Disney’s “National Treasure:
Book of Secrets,” with Cage as a history buff on the trail of a lost city
of gold, was the No. 1 box office draw for the third straight weekend with
$20.2 million, according to studio estimates
Sunday.
Three other hits crowded behind:
Will Smith’s sci-fi smash for Warner Bros., “I Am Legend,” with $16.4
million; Fox Searchlight’s teen-pregnancy comedy “Juno” with $16.2
million; and 20th Century Fox’s family tale
“Alvin and
the Chipmunks” with $16 million.
“Book of Secrets” raised
its domestic total to $171 million in three weeks, putting it just $2 million
shy of the total that 2004’s “National Treasure” rang up during its
entire run.
“I Am Legend” has grossed
$228.7 million, while “Alvin
and the Chipmunks” has taken in $176.7 million.
The weekend’s only new wide release,
the Warner Bros. fright flick “One Missed Call,” managed to pull in
the horror-movie crowd despite universal loathing by critics. Starring Edward
Burns and Shannyn Sossamon in a tale of
people whose gruesome deaths are preceded by cell phone messages recording
their final moments, the movie debuted at No. 5 with $13.5 million.
The first weekend of 2008 was
promising for Hollywood,
continuing a holiday box office surge that followed a weak fall season. The top
12 movies took in $123.9 million, up 18.5 percent from the first weekend of 2007.
Featuring a star-making turn from
Ellen Page as a whip-smart pregnant teen, “Juno” has emerged as an
independent film sensation, grabbing critical praise and building momentum as Hollywood’s awards season progresses.
“It’s the coolest little
success story coming out of 2007,” said Paul Dergarabedian, president of
box office tracker Media By Numbers. “It’s playing like a mini-blockbuster
right now.”
The film has three nominations for
Sunday’s Golden Globes, among them best musical or comedy and an acting honor
for Page.
With $52 million already in the
bank, “Juno” is on its way to becoming Fox Searchlight’s biggest hit
ever, approaching “Little Miss Sunshine” at $59.9 million and
“Sideways” at $71.5 million.
“Juno” started off in
larger cities but now has caught fire in smaller towns such as Columbus,
Ohio, Wilkes-Barre,
Pa., and Cedar
Rapids, Iowa, said
Peter Rice, Fox Searchlight president.
“The middle of the country has
really embraced the movie. And I think the time of year has had a magnifying
effect. All the top 10 lists,” Rice said. “When the press writes that
it’s one of the best movies of the year combined
with a movie people love, I think those are the defining factors.”
Breaking into the top 10 as it
expanded to more theaters was Focus Features’ tragic romance
“Atonement,” which came in at No. 10 with $5.1 million. “Atonement” leads the
Golden Globe field with seven nominations, among them best drama and acting
honors for Keira Knightley and James McAvoy.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday
through Sunday at U.S.
and Canadian theaters, according to Media By Numbers LLC. Final figures will be
released Monday.
1. “National Treasure: Book of Secrets,” $20.2 million.
2. “I Am Legend,” $16.4 million.
3. “Juno,” $16.2 million.
4. “Alvin
and the Chipmunks,” $16 million.
5. “One Missed Call,” $13.5 million.
6. “Charlie Wilson’s War,” $8.2 million.
7. “P.S. I Love You,” $8 million.
8. “The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep,” $6.3 million.
9. “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street,” $5.4 million.
10. “Atonement,” $5.1 million.
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