Saturday Box Office: Treasure Down, Headed For $50M; Charlie Beats Sweeney

By Steve Mason/Dec. 23, 2007 9:33 am EST

Nicolas Cage's National Treasure: Book of Secrets (Disney) was down on Saturday from its enthusiastic Friday opening. The return of treasure hunter Ben Gates added an estimated $16.9M with a Per Theatre Average of $4,410.Now the question becomes how will the weekend box office play out considering that Monday is Christmas Eve and a holiday for most Americans?

My sources are telling me that today (Sunday) will play more like a Saturday but to keep in mind that many moviegoers are wrapping up their Christmas shopping. Given that, I am penciling in a 5% Sunday drop, which would put Treasure right at $50M for the 3-day runup to the holiday. That's down from my original Early 3-Day Estimate released Friday night ($59.2M), but will still mark the best opening weekend of Cage's career (Scroll down to read my Friday Night report).

I Am Legend (Warner Bros) continues to hold strong with an estimated $12.9M on Saturday and a likely $35.58M for the weekend. The surprise blockbuster Alvin & the Chipmunks (Fox) is 3rd for the day with $11.2M and for the 3-day with $30.5M. That lifts the live action/animation hybrid past the $75M mark in domestic sales.

The Tom Hanks/Julia Roberts Michael Nichols-directed Charlie Wilson's War (Universal) was 4th on Saturday, but failed to catch Sweeney Todd (Dreamworks/Paramount) in the weekend race. Charlie was up 36% to $3.8M on its 2nd day, while the clearly frontloaded Sweeney slumped by 11% to $3.4M. The Tim Burton-directed Sondheim film adaptation will have banked $10.1M by Sunday night, compared to the Aaron Sorkin-written political yarn which will finish the weekend with $9.9M.

P.S. I Love You (Warner Bros), with $2.26M Saturday and a 3-day of $6.64M, and Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (Sony), with $1.51M on day 2 and a $4.3M weekend, remain huge disappointments. Meanwhile Fox Searchlight's Juno is huge at its 304 with an estimated 3-day of $3.35M, good for 10th place.

Very quiet on the specialty front, but Jessica Simpson's Blonde Ambition (First Look) remains an embarassment for Dalas Cowboy quarterback Tony Romo's current "squeeze." The film had a Per Theatre Average of just $62 on its 8 screens in Texas on Saturday. That equates to about 8 tickets sold at each location, and the movie will finish the weekend with $1,251 and a 3-day PTA of $227. That's a disaster for the woman being called the "Yoko Ono of the Dallas Cowboys."

EXCLUSIVE FANTASY MOGULS EARLY SATURDAY ESTIMATES

1. NEW – National Treasure: Book of Secrets (Disney) – $16,899,300, $4,410 PTA [$33,969,300 cume]

2. I Am Legend (Warner Bros) – $12,916,800, $3,568 PTA – [$127,221,800 cume]

3. Alvin & the Chipmunks (Fox) – $11,272,800, $3,222 PTA – [$75,679,800 cume]

4. NEW – Charlie Wilson's War (Universal) – $3,814,800, $1,482 PTA [$6,619,800 cume]

5. NEW – Sweeney Todd (Dreamworks/Paramount) – $3,426,500, $2,743 PTA [$7,276,500 cume]

6. NEW – P.S. I Love You (Warner Bros) – $2,265,600, $923 PTA [$4,625,600 cume]

7. The Golden Compass (New Line) – $1,752,000, $593 PTA [$47,390,000 cume]

8. Enchanted (Disney) – $1,637,500, $595 PTA [$97,085,500 cume]

9. NEW – Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (Sony) – $1,519,800, $574 PTA [$3,009,800 cume]

10. Juno (Fox Searchlight) – $1,241,600, $4,084 PTA [$5,196,600 cume]

11. Atonement (Focus) – $798,000, $2,687 PTA [$5,135,000cume]

12. No Country for Old Men (Miramax) – $705,600, $577 PTA [$36,203,600 cume]

*The Kite Runner (Paramount Vantage) – $480,000, $1,273 PTA [$1,501,000 cume]

*The Savages (Fox Searchlight) – $84,150, $1,403 PTA [$704,898 cume]

*The Diving Bell & the Butterfly (Miramax) – $50,400, $1,527 PTA [$371,060 cume]

*NEW – Steep (Sony Classics) – $8,055, $474 PTA [$16,810 cume] ]

*NEW – Blond Ambition (First Look) – $495, $62 PTA [$879 cume] ]

*NEW – Flakes (IFC Films) – $495, $62 PTA [$879 cume]

EXCLUSIVE FANTASY MOGULS REVISED 3-DAY ESTIMATES

1. NEW – National Treasure: Book of Secrets (Disney) – $50,023,635, $12,787 PTA [$49,000,000 cume]

2. I Am Legend (Warner Bros) – $35,581,920, $9,829 PTA – [$138,846,920 cume]

3. Alvin & the Chipmunks (Fox) – $30,521,960, $8,723 PTA – [$86,388,960 cume]

4. NEW – Sweeney Todd (Dreamworks/Paramount) – $10,189,025, $8,158 PTA [$10,189,025 cume]

5. NEW – Charlie Wilson's War (Universal) – $9,900,528, $3,846 PTA [$9,900,528 cume]

6. NEW – P.S. I Love You (Warner Bros) – $6,641,984, $2,707 PTA [$6,641,984 cume]

7. The Golden Compass (New Line) – $4,423,680, $1,498 PTA [$48,861,680 cume]

8. Enchanted (Disney) – $4,361,250, $1,585 PTA [$98,559,250 cume]

9. NEW – Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (Sony) – $4,301,630, $1,623 PTA [$4,301,630 cume]

10. Juno (Fox Searchlight) – $3,353,872, $11,032 PTA [$6,338,872 cume]

11. Atonement (Focus) – $2,009,280, $6,765 PTA [$5,821,280 cume]

12. No Country for Old Men (Miramax) – $1,785,360, $1,461 PTA [$36,803,360 cume]

*The Kite Runner (Paramount Vantage) – $1,198,400 $3,179 PTA [$1,899,400 cume]

*The Savages (Fox Searchlight) – $196,470, $3,275 PTA [$772,218 cume]

*The Diving Bell & the Butterfly (Miramax) – $123,744, $3,750 PTA [$414,404 cume]

*NEW – Steep (Sony Classics) – $22,448, $1,320 PTA [$$22,448 cume]

*NEW – Blonde Ambition (First Look) – $1,251, $156 PTA [$1,251 cume]

*NEW – Flakes (IFC Films) – $227, $227 PTA [$227 cume]