Five-Day Box Office: Enchanted $53M; This Christmas $28M; Beowulf #3; Hitman #4

Amy Adams was nominated for an Academy Award for the funny, but hardly-seen comedy Junebug, and then matched Will Ferrell joke-for-joke in her supporting turn in Talladega Nights last summer. Now, she's at the top of the box office and almost certainly headed for, at least, a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress â€" Comedy or Musical. Disney's Enchanted, featuring Adams as a "princess out-of-water," will wrap up the 5-day weekend with an estimated $53.14M. giving it the #2 Thanksgiving opening of all time.

Enchanted did dip 8% from its monstrous Friday, but still managed a $13.24M Saturday haul. With an anticipated dip of another 20% on Sunday, the Kevin Lima-directed live action-animation hybrid should hit my projected number. Industry tracking pointed toward a huge opening for Disney, but the town didn't necessarily see This Christmas (Sony) coming.

Hot on the heels of Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married? (Lionsgate), which has grossed $54M+ to-date, along comes another ensemble film featuring an almost entirely black cast, and it's grabbed a huge 5-day opening of an estimated $28.73M and a weekend-best $15,465 Per Theatre Average. If those numbers hold, This Christmas will have delivered the all-time 13th-biggest 5-day Thanksgiving opening.

Among wide releases (1,000+ locations), This Christmas was one of only 3 pictures that matched or beat their Friday numbers. The Sony holiday family film and American Gangster (Universal) both came in even from Friday while Bee Movie (Dreamworks/Paramount) appears to have improved by a percent or 2. This Christmas writer/director Preston Whitmore II, whose only previous major release was last year's poorly-reviewed basketball film Crossover, will now be hot property in Hollywood.

What does it say about moviegoers? Tyler Perry's films and now This Christmas prove that younger movie audiences are increasingly color-blind. Older audiences may have viewed This Christmas as a "black film," but the younger crowd was just looking for a likeable movie with a holiday theme.

Beowulf had a solid 5-day take of $24.77M, and its business is increasingly being driven by its 600+ Digital 3D locations (including IMAX). In fact, over 50% of that $24M+ came from 3D engagements.

The critically-reviled Hitman (Fox) was down 9% Friday-to-Saturday for $4.8M, bringing its 5-day figure to a likely $21.65M. Holdover Fred Claus (Fox) appears to have held off Bee Movie (Dreamworks/Paramount) for 5th place for the 5-day. The estimated final score is Fred $16.2M â€" Bee $14.5M. The heartwarming music-driven August Rush (Warner Bros) finished #7 for the lucrative Thanksgiving period with $14.24M or so, while MGM/Weinstein's The Mist debuted at #9 with a projected $12.81M.

I'm Not There (MGM/Weinstein), Todd Haynes' experimental ode to Bob Dylan, has opened softly with a 5-day of about $1M at 130 locations, which translates to a disappointing 5-day PTA of $7,762. Perhaps when Cate Blanchett begins to rack up critics awards, a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actress and a possible Oscar nom, film fans will rally to see what is truly a sensational performance.

Margot at the Wedding (Paramount Vantage), the another dysfunctional family comedy from Noah Baumbach, starring his wife Jennifer Jason Leigh, Nicole Kidman and Jack Black, will have either the 2nd or 3rd- best 5-day PTA at $14,286 in a virtual dead heat with Enchanted. This bodes well for further expansion and solid box office combined with The Hollywood Foreign Press' love of Kidman could give both the former Mrs. Cruise and Baumbach the push they need to be in the Golden Globes race.

One other specialty release of note is Starting Out in the Evening (Roadside Attractions), which opened Friday at 7 locations. Riding terrific reviews and excellent notices for star Frank Langella, Evening is headed for a 3-day PTA of $10,571. A veteran of countless features in a career that spans 40+ years, Langella has never received an Academy Award nomination, and although he remains a longshot, he makes for an interesting dark horse. This is just the kind of actor in precisely the kind of role that other actors tend to warm to at nomination time, and the fact that the film is showing life at the box office can only help.

EXCLUSIVE FANTASY MOGULS EARLY SATURDAY ESTIMATES

1. NEW – Enchanted (Disney) – $13.24 million – $3,552 PTA – $42.54 million cume

2. NEW – This Christmas (Sony) – $7.43 million – $3,999 PTA – $23.31 million cume

3. Beowulf (Dreamworks/Paramount) – $6.38 million – $1,986 PTA – $53.03 million cume

4. NEW – Hitman (20th Century Fox) – $4.8 million – $1,955 PTA – $18.14 million cume

5. Fred Claus (Warner Bros.) – $4.28 million – $1,190 PTA – $50.9 million cume

6. Bee Movie (Dreamworks/Paramount) – $3.79 million – $1,083 PTA – $107.6 million cume

7. NEW – August Rush (Warner Bros.) – $3.71 million – $1,607 PTA million – $11.34 million cume

8. American Gangster (Universal) – $3.61 million – $1,290 PTA – $113.7 million cume

9. NEW – The Mist (MGM/Weinstein) – $3.31 million – $1,367 PTA – $10.75 million cume

10. Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium (20th Century Fox) $3.15 million – $995 PTA – $20.9 million cume

11. No Country For Old Men (Miramax) – $2.97 million – $3,460 PTA – $14.5 million cume

12. Dan in Real Life (Disney) – $1.23 million – $822 PTA – $41.6 million cume

*Lions for Lambs (MGM/UA) – $510,000 – $334 PTA – $13.6 million cume

*Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (Thinkfilm) – $385,000 – $1,481 PTA – $3.3 million cume

*Love in the Time of Cholera (New Line) – $375,000 – $440 PTA – $3.2 million cume

*NEW – I'm Not There (MGM/Weinstein) – $290,000 – $2,231 PTA – $806,000 cume

*Margot at the Wedding (Paramount Vantage) – $153,000 – $4,371 PTA – $471,416 cume

*NEW – Starting Out in the Evening (Roadside Attractions) – $31,000 – $4,429 PTA – $49,802 cume

EXCLUSIVE FANTASY MOGULS REVISED 3-DAY ESTIMATES

- Friday thru Sunday -

1. NEW – Enchanted (Disney) – $38.24 million – $10,254 PTA – $53.14 million cume

2. NEW – This Christmas (Sony) – $20.28 million – $10,917 PTA – $28.73 million cume

3. Beowulf (Dreamworks/Paramount) – $17.7 million – $5,501 PTA – $57.8 million cume

4. NEW – Hitman (20th Century Fox) – $13.59 million – $5,530 PTA – $21.65 million cume

5. Fred Claus (Warner Bros.) – $11.83 million – $3,284 PTA – $54.2 million cume

6. Bee Movie (Dreamworks/Paramount) – $10.59 million – $3,021 PTA – $110.6 million cume

7. NEW – August Rush (Warner Bros.) – $10.35 million – $4,484 PTA million – $14.24 million cume

8. American Gangster (Universal) – $9.56 million – $3,418 PTA – $116.1 million cume

9. Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium (20th Century Fox) – $8.84 million – $2,792 PTA – $23.2 million cume

10. NEW – The Mist (MGM/Weinstein) – $8.74 million – $3,610 PTA – $12.81 million cume

11. No Country For Old Men (Miramax) – $8.33 million – $9,695 PTA – $16.84 million cume

12. Dan in Real Life (Disney) – $3.26 million – $2,171 PTA – $42.4 million cume

*Lions for Lambs (MGM/UA) – $1.32 million – $865 PTA – $13.9 million cume

*Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (Thinkfilm) – $1.01 million – $3,900 PTA – $3.5 million cume

*Love in the Time of Cholera (New Line) – $980,000 – $1,150 PTA – $3.5 million cume

*NEW – I'm Not There (MGM/Weinstein) – $765,000 – $5,885 PTA – $1 million cume

*Margot at the Wedding (Paramount Vantage) – $405,000 – $11,571 PTA – $593,816 cume

*NEW – Starting Out in the Evening (Roadside Attractions) – $74,000 – $10,571 PTA – $74,000 cume

EXCLUSIVE FANTASY MOGULS REVISED 5-DAY ESTIMATES

- Wednesday thru Sunday -

1. NEW – Enchanted (Disney) – $53.14 million – $14,248 PTA – $53.14 million cume

2. NEW – This Christmas (Sony) – $28.73 million – $15,465 PTA – $28.73 million cume

3. Beowulf (Dreamworks/Paramount) – $24.77 million – $7,699 PTA – $57.8 million cume

4. NEW – Hitman (20th Century Fox) – $21.65 million – $8,811 PTA – $21.65 million cume

5. Fred Claus (Warner Bros.) – $16.26 million – $4,515 PTA – $54.2 million cume

6. Bee Movie (Dreamworks/Paramount) – $14.57 million – $4,156 PTA – $110.6 million cume

7. NEW – August Rush (Warner Bros.) – $14.24 million – $6,166 PTA million – $14.24 million cume

8. American Gangster (Universal) – $13.07 million – $4,670 PTA – $116.1 million cume

9. NEW – The Mist (MGM/Weinstein) – $12.81 million – $5,287 PTA – $12.81 million cume

10. Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emprorium (20th Century Fox) – $11.83 million – $3,736 PTA – $23.2 million cume

11. No Country For Old Men (Miramax) – $11.21 million – $13,044 PTA – $16.84 million cume

12. Dan in Real Life (Disney) – $4.56 million – $3,036 PTA – $42.4 million cume

*Lions for Lambs (MGM/UA) – $1.8 million – $1,185 PTA – $13.9 million cume

*Love in the Time of Cholera (New Line) – $1.29 million – $1,517 PTA – $3.5 million cume

*Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (Thinkfilm) – $1.24 million – $4,802 PTA – $3.5 million cume

*NEW – I'm Not There (MGM/Weinstein) – $1 million – $7,762 PTA – $1 million cume

*Margot at the Wedding (Paramount Vantage) – $500,000 – $14,286 PTA – $595,000 cume

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