Box Office: Enchanted Easily Wins Weekend With $17.1M

The weekend after Thanksgiving is always one of the more sluggish 3-day periods of the calendar year, and 2007 is no exception. Disney's Enchanted got a solid 51% Saturday bounce, but still, it will only manage a weekend of about $17.1M. Since opening on the Wednesday prior to "turkey day" the family film featuring likely Oscar nominee Amy Adams has grabbed an estimated $65M+, but that's a 50% drop from opening weekend. In the final analysis, Enchanted suffered virtually the same decline that struck Happy Feet on the same weekend last year, so Disney is probably quite satisfied. Their animation-live action mix should have great "legs" during the lucrative holiday moviegoing period, and awards buzz can only help to broaden the film's audience.

It appears that Beowulf (Dreamworks/Paramount), the Robert Zemeckis-directed Digital 3D motion capture animation epic, will finish 2nd for the weekend, despite trailing Sony holdover This Christmas on Saturday. The surprise hit that features an all-African American cast got a huge 61% Saturday bump of 61%, and it grabbed an estimated $3.86M to Beowulf's $3.48M. Sunday, however, should tilt toward the Dreamworks Digital 3D and IMAX 3D spectacle, knocking This Christmas into 3rd place for the 3-day.

The only new wide release this weekend was Awake (MGM), a medical thriller starring Jessica Alba and Hayden Christensen not screened for critics. It was virtually flat Friday-to-Saturday, and it'll miss the weekend top 5 altogether with a meager $5.61M.

The news was much better for 2 major specialty releases beginning platform runs. The Savages (Fox Searchlight) will win the weekend PTA battle, but it showed considerably less staying power than Julian Schnabel's The Diving Bell & the Butterfly (Miramax) on Saturday.

Despite solid reviews and a cast that includes Oscar winner Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Oscar nominee Laura Linney and veteran character actor Phillip Bosco, The Savages was down 4% on Saturday at its 4 locations. It will likely finish the 3-day with a PTA of $30,000 or so, which is much lower than the projection I generated Friday night. Meanwhile, Diving Bell rode spectacular reviews to a 41% Saturday surge on 3 screens, and the French language film that was recognized at the Cannes Film Festival will likely finish the weekend with a PTA in the $25,000 range.

EXCLUSIVE FANTASY MOGULS EARLY SATURDAY ESTIMATES

1. Enchanted (Disney) – $7.39M – $1,984 PTA – $65.8M cume

2. This Christmas (Sony) – $3.81M – $2,054 PTA – $34.7M cume

3. Beowulf (Dreamworks/Paramount) – $2.56M – $1,097 PTA – $66.7M cume

4. Fred Claus (Warner Bros) – $2.5M – $732 PTA – $58.3M cume

5. Hitman (Fox) – $2.36M – $960 PTA – $28.6M cume

6. NEW – Awake (MGM) – $2.26M – $1,134 PTA – $4.49M cume

7. August Rush (Warner Bros) – $2.16M – $937 PTA – $19.1M cume

8. Bee Movie (Dreamworks/Paramount) – $2.1M – $668 PTA – $116.3M cume

9. American Gangster (Universal) – $1.86M – $692 PTA – $120.6M cume

10. No Country for Old Men (Miramax) – $1.77M – $1,786 PTA – $21.7M

11. The Mist (MGM/Weinstein) – $1.69M – $698 PTA – $18M cume

12. Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium (Fox) – $1.55M – $545 PTA – $25.5M cume

*Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (Thinkfilm) – $315,000 – $1,043 PTA – $4.2M

*I'm Not There (MGM/Weinstein) – $205,000 – $1,486 PTA – $1.5M

*Margot at the Wedding (Paramount Vantage) – $80,000 – $2,286 PTA – $796,000 cume

*NEW – The Savages (Fox Searchlight) – $43,000 – $10,750 PTA – $87,000 cume

*NEW â€" The Diving Bell & the Butterfly (Miramax) – $30,000 – $10,000 PTA – $51,336 cume

*Romance & Cigarettes (Independent) – $21,000 – $2,333 PTA – $250,000 cume

*Starting Out in the Evening (Roadside Attractions) – $20,000 – $2,500 PTA – $135,000 cume

*What Would Jesus Buy (Independent) – $7,066 – $505 PTA – $66,000 cume

*NEW – Christmas in Wonderland (Yari Film Group) – $6,964 – $3,482 PTA – $13,020 cume

*NEW – Protagonist (IFC Films) – $2,063 – $2,063 PTA – $3,638 cume

*NEW â€" Sex & Breakfast (Independent) – $883 – $883 PTA – $2,986 cume

*NEW â€" The Rocket (Palm) – $222 – $222 PTA – $359 cume

EXCLUSIVE FANTASY MOGULS REVISED 3-DAY ESTIMATES

1. Enchanted (Disney) – $17.1M – $4,587 PTA – $70.7M cume

2. Beowulf (Dreamworks/Paramount) – $8.39M – $2,583 PTA – $69.1M cume

3. This Christmas (Sony) – $8.1M – $4,360 PTA – $36.5M cume

4. Hitman (Fox) – $5.81M – $2,357 PTA – $30.2M cume

5. Fred Claus (Warner Bros) – $5.73M – $1,622 PTA – $60M cume

6. NEW – Awake (MGM) – $5.61M – $2,806 PTA – $5.61M cume

7. August Rush (Warner Bros) – $5.45M – $2,362 PTA – $20.6M cume

8. Bee Movie (Dreamworks/Paramount) – $4.46M – $1,418 PTA – $117.6M cume

9. No Country for Old Men (Miramax) – $4.43M – $4,452 PTA – $22.9M

10. American Gangster (Universal) – $4.36M – $1,616 PTA – $121.8M cume

11. The Mist (MGM/Weinstein) – $4.08M – $1,684 PTA – $19M cume

12. Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium (Fox) – $3.44M – $1,205 PTA – $26.5M cume

*Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (Thinkfilm) – $750,500 – $2,485 PTA – $4.4M

*I'm Not There (MGM/Weinstein) – $483,250 – $3,502 PTA – $1.7M

*Margot at the Wedding (Paramount Vantage) – $192,020 – $5,486 PTA – $852,000 cume

*NEW – The Savages (Fox Searchlight) – $121,256 – $30,314 PTA – $121,256 cume

*NEW â€" The Diving Bell & the Butterfly (Miramax) – $75,336 – $25,112 PTA – $75,336 cume

*Romance & Cigarettes (Independent) – $47,951 – $5,328 PTA – $263,000 cume

*Starting Out in the Evening (Roadside Attractions) – $46,333 – $5,792 PTA – $149,000 cume

*What Would Jesus Buy (Independent) – $19,690 – $1,406 PTA – $71,000 cume

*NEW – Christmas in Wonderland (Yari Film Group) – $17,547 – $8,774 PTA – $17,547 cume

*NEW – Protagonist (IFC Films) – $5,041 – $5,041 PTA – $5,041 cume

*NEW â€" Sex & Breakfast (Independent) – $3,560 – $3,560 PTA – $3,560 cume

*NEW â€" The Rocket (Palm) – $503 – $503 PTA – $503 cume

EXCLUSIVE FANTASY MOGULS EARLY SATURDAY PTA ESTIMATES

1. NEW – The Savages (Fox Searchlight) â€" 4 locations – $10,750 PTA

2. NEW â€" The Diving Bell & the Butterfly (Miramax) â€" 3 locations – $10,000 PTA

3. NEW – Christmas in Wonderland (Yari Film Group) – 2 locations – $3,482 PTA

4. Starting Out in the Evening (Roadside Attractions) â€" 8 locations – $2,500 PTA

5. Romance & Cigarettes (Independent) â€" 9 locations – $2,333 PTA

6. Margot at the Wedding (Paramount Vantage) â€" 35 locations – $2,286 PTA

7. NEW – Protagonist (IFC Films) – 1 location – $2,063 PTA

8. This Christmas (Sony) â€" 1,858 locations – $2,028 PTA

9. Enchanted (Disney) â€" 3,730 locations – $1,984 PTA

10. No Country for Old Men (Miramax) â€" 995 locations – $1,340 PTA

EXCLUSIVE FANTASY MOGULS REVISED 3-DAY PTA ESTIMATES

1. NEW – The Savages (Fox Searchlight) â€" 4 locations – $30,314 PTA

2. NEW â€" The Diving Bell & the Butterfly (Miramax) â€" 3 locations – $25,112 PTA

3. NEW – Christmas in Wonderland (Yari Film Group) – 2 locations – $8,774 PTA

4. Starting Out in the Evening (Roadside Attractions) â€" 8 locations – $5,792 PTA

5. Margot at the Wedding (Paramount Vantage) â€" 35 locations – $5,486 PTA

6. Romance & Cigarettes (Independent) â€" 9 locations – $5,328 PTA

7. NEW – Protagonist (IFC Films) – 1 location – $5,041 PTA

8. Enchanted (Disney) â€" 3,730 locations – $4,587 PTA

9. No Country for Old Men (Miramax) â€" 995 locations – $4,452 PTA

10. This Christmas (Sony) â€" 1,858 locations – $4,360 PTA

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