Friday Box Office: Enchanted With $4.9M; Savages And Diving Bell Strong

Disney's Enchanted, starring near-certain Golden Globe and Oscar nominee Amy Adams, continued its royal box office run adding another $4.9M on Friday, and the well-reviewed family film will manage a solid hold on its 2nd weekend. The "princess-out-of-water" animation-live action hybrid is on target for an estimated $17.6M for the weekend, representing a 49% drop from its Black Friday-boosted opening weekend.

The weekend after Thanksgiving is traditionally a rough 3-day for the movie business, and 2007 is no exception. The Top 12 movies are on track for just over $78M, down 4% from the same weekend last year, when the top 3 movies were Happy Feet, Casino Royale and Déjà Vu. Overall, this year's post-Thanksgiving weekend haul will likely be the 6th-best in the past 10 years and slightly above the $77.1M 10-year rolling average for the first weekend in December.

Beowulf (Dreamworks/Paramount), the Robert Zemeckis-directed Digital 3D motion capture animation epic, is holding well with $2.7M on Friday, which should translate to an $8.37M weekend. By Monday morning, Beowulf will have racked up just under $70M domestic, and much of the success can be attributed to the 600+ digital 3D and IMAX 3D locations. As much as 60% of this weekend's gross will have been generated by the 3D component of the project.

The surprise hit This Christmas (Sony) is 3rd for the day with $2.4M and will finish in the same spot for the weekend with $7.8M, with Fred Claus (Warner Bros) and Hitman (Fox) will round out the top 5.

The new medical thriller Awake (MGM), starring Jessica Alba and Hayden Christensen, managed to dredge up $2M on its first day of business, good for a 4th-place finish. It wasn't screened for critics, for good reason, and it will be very front-loaded. Awake could finish as low as #7 for the weekend with but it could conceivably outpace August Rush (Warner Bros) for 6th.

3 new specialty films are at the top of the Per Theatre Average leader-board. The Savages (Fox Searchlight), which opened at 4 locations on Wednesday, grabbed just under $11,000 per on Friday, and it will coast to a probable 3-day PTA of just under $40,000. Writer/director Tamara Jenkins seems like a solid bet for an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay and perennial favorite Laura Linney is a top shelf contender in the Best Actress category. Phillip Bosco should not be overlooked for his performance as an irascible Alzheimer's patient in the Best Supporting Actor category, but in my estimation Phillip Seymour Hoffman has a better Best Actor shot with his role in Sydney Lumet's Before the Devil Knows You're Dead.

Good news for Julian Schnabel's The Diving Bell & the Butterfly (Miramax) with a weekend PTA of $26,000 or so. The Cannes Film Festival winner will be helped by specialty box office success to go along with all of those rave reviews. Diving Bell is a possible Oscar nominee for Best Picture, Best Director (Schnabel), Best Actor (Mathieu Amalric), Best Supporting Actor (Max Von Sydow) and Best Adapted Screenplay (Ronald Harwood).

Meanwhile, the poorly-reviewed Sex & Breakfast, which is being independently distributed, fared well on its first day at the Sunset 5 in West Hollywood. With a cast that includes Macauley Culkin and Eliza Dushku, the Miles Brandman-written and directed ensemble relationship comedy managed just over $2,100 on Friday, and it has a shot at a weekend in the $7,000 range.

EXCLUSIVE FANTASY MOGULS EARLY FRIDAY ESTIMATES

1. Enchanted (Disney) – $4.9M – $1,314 PTA – $58.4M cume

2. Beowulf (Dreamworks/Paramount) – $2.7M – $831 PTA – $63.4M cume

3. This Christmas (Sony) – $2.4M – $1,292 PTA – $30.8M cume

4. NEW – Awake (MGM) – $2M – $999 PTA – $2M cume

5. Hitman (Fox) – $1.9M – $770 PTA – $26.3M cume

6. August Rush (Warner Bros) – $1.69M – $735 PTA – $16.9M cume

7. Fred Claus (Warner Bros) – $1.65M – $482 PTA – $55.9M cume

8. No Country for Old Men (Miramax) – $1.33M – $1,340 PTA – $19.8M

8. American Gangster (Universal) – $1.33M – $493 PTA – $118.7M cume

10. The Mist (MGM/Weinstein) – $1.25M – $517 PTA – $16.2M cume

11. Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium (Fox) – $1.24M – $437 PTA – $24.3M cume

11. Bee Movie (Dreamworks/Paramount) – $1.15M – $365 PTA – $114.3M cume

*Dan in Real Life (Disney) – $535,000 – $355 PTA – $43.2M cume

*Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (Thinkfilm) – $225,000 – $745 PTA – $3.9M

*I'm Not There (MGM/Weinstein) – $133,000 – $964 PTA – $1.3M

*Lions for Lambs (MGM/UA) – $125,000 – $152 PTA – $14.2M cume

*Margot at the Wedding (Paramount Vantage) – $58,956 – $1,684 PTA – $719,000 cume

*NEW – The Savages (Fox Searchlight) – $43,600 – $10,900 PTA – $76,000 cume

*NEW â€" The Diving Bell & the Butterfly (Miramax) – $21,123 – $7,041 PTA – $21,123 cume

*Romance & Cigarettes (Independent) – $10,377 – $1,153 PTA – $225,500 cume

*Starting Out in the Evening (Roadside Attractions) – $9,360 – $1,170 PTA – $112,000 cume

*What Would Jesus Buy (Independent) – $5,990 – $599 PTA – $57,000 cume

*NEW â€" Sex & Breakfast (Independent) – $2,103 – $2,103 PTA – $2,103 cume

*NEW â€" The Rocket (Palm) – $137 – $137 PTA – $137 cume

EXCLUSIVE FANTASY MOGULS EARLY 3-DAY ESTIMATES

1. Enchanted (Disney) – $17.6M – $4,718 PTA – $71.1M cume

2. Beowulf (Dreamworks/Paramount) – $8.37M – $2,576 PTA – $69.1M cume

3. This Christmas (Sony) – $7.8M – $4,198 PTA – $36.2M cume

4. Fred Claus (Warner Bros) – $6.6M – $1,930 PTA – $60.8M cume

5. Hitman (Fox) – $5.9M – $2,391 PTA – $30.3M cume

6. August Rush (Warner Bros) – $5.6M – $2,426 PTA – $20.8M cume

7. NEW – Awake (MGM) – $5.5M – $2,747 PTA – $5.5M cume

8. No Country for Old Men (Miramax) – $4.79M – $4,823 PTA – $23.3M

9. American Gangster (Universal) – $4.25M – $1,578 PTA – $121.7M cume

10. Bee Movie (Dreamworks/Paramount) – $4.02M – $1,278 PTA – $117.1M cume

11. Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium (Fox) – $3.99M – $1,398 PTA – $27M cume

12. The Mist (MGM/Weinstein) – $3.69M – $1,524 PTA – $18.7M cume

*Dan in Real Life (Disney) – $1.73M – $1,155 PTA – $44.4M cume

*Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (Thinkfilm) – 825,000 – $2,732 PTA – $4.5M

*I'm Not There (MGM/Weinstein) – $440,000 – $3,188 PTA – $1.6M

*Lions for Lambs (MGM/UA) – $410,000 – $497 PTA – $14.5M cume

*Margot at the Wedding (Paramount Vantage) – $222,000 – $6,343 PTA – $882,000 cume

*NEW – The Savages (Fox Searchlight) – $159,000 – $39,750 PTA – $192,000 cume

*NEW â€" The Diving Bell & the Butterfly (Miramax) – $78,000 – $26,000 PTA – $78,000 cume

*Romance & Cigarettes (Independent) – $36,000 – $4,000 PTA – $251,000 cume

*Starting Out in the Evening (Roadside Attractions) – $35,000- $4,375 PTA – $138,000 cume

*What Would Jesus Buy (Independent) – $20,000 – $2,000 PTA – $71,000 cume

*NEW â€" Sex & Breakfast (Independent) – $7,045 – $7,045 PTA – $7,045 cume

*NEW â€" The Rocket (Palm) – $500 – $500 PTA – $500 cume

EXCLUSIVE FANTASY MOGULS EARLY FRIDAY PTA ESTIMATES

1. NEW – The Savages (Fox Searchlight) â€" 4 locations – $10,900 PTA

2. NEW â€" The Diving Bell & the Butterfly (Miramax) â€" 3 locations – $7,041 PTA

3. NEW â€" Sex & Breakfast (Independent) â€" 1 location – $2,103 PTA

4. Margot at the Wedding (Paramount Vantage) â€" 35 locations – $1,684 PTA

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

6. Enchanted (Disney) â€" 3,730 locations – $1,314 PTA

7. This Christmas (Sony) â€" 1,858 locations – $1,292 PTA

8. Starting Out in the Evening (Roadside Attractions) â€" 8 locations – $1,170 PTA

9. Romance & Cigarettes (Independent) â€" 9 locations – $1,153 PTA

10. NEW – Awake (MGM) â€" 2,002 locations – $999 PTA

EXCLUSIVE FANTASY MOGULS EARLY 3-DAY PTA ESTIMATES

1. NEW – The Savages (Fox Searchlight) â€" 4 locations – $39,750 PTA

2. NEW â€" The Diving Bell & the Butterfly (Miramax) â€" 3 locations – $26,000 PTA

3. NEW â€" Sex & Breakfast (Independent) â€" 1 location – $7,045 PTA

4. Margot at the Wedding (Paramount Vantage) â€" 35 locations – $6,343 PTA

5. No Country for Old Men (Miramax) â€" 995 locations – $4,823 PTA

6. Enchanted (Disney) â€" 3,730 locations – $4,718 PTA

7. Starting Out in the Evening (Roadside Attractions) â€" 8 locations – $4,375 PTA

8. This Christmas (Sony) â€" 1,858 locations – $4,198 PTA

9. Romance & Cigarettes (Independent) â€" 9 locations – $4,000 PTA

10. I'm Not There (MGM/Weinstein) â€" 138 locations – $3,188 PTA

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