National Treasure: Book of Secrets topped the North American box office for the third straight weekend with an estimated US$20.2 million.
Walt Disney's sequel to the 2004 hit National Treasure continued to slam the competition, lifting its domestic total to $171 million after a strong three-week run. The Jon Turteltaub-directed adventure tale starring Nicolas Cage (above, with Diane Kruger) as an ambitious treasure hunter is just $2 million away from surpassing the cumulative gross of its predecessor.
I Am Legend climbed back up to No.2, collecting $16.3 million from ticket sales at 3,648 locations. The post-apocalyptic thriller directed by Francis Lawrence and starring Will Smith reached a cumulative gross of $228.6 million after only four weeks in release.
Jason Reitman's coming-of-age comedy Juno jumped to No. 3 after adding more theatres nationwide last week, earning $16.2 million while lifting its total haul to $52 million. Starring Ellen Page and Michael Cera, the film follows the misadventures of a pregnant 15-year-old who decides to give her upcoming baby up for adoption.
Down from No. 2 to No. 4, Alvin and the Chipmunks took home $16 million from 3,462 locations. Directed by Tim Hill, the PG-rated comedy based on the popular 1980s cartoon series has taken in a total of $176.6 million after a remarkable four-week run.
The weekend's only major new release, One Missed Call, debuted at No. 5, with a $13.5 million take despite negative reviews. Directed by Eric Valette and starring Shannyn Sossamon an Edward Burns, the horror thriller follows a group of friends whose lives are threatened following mysterious phone calls.
Mike Nichols' political comedy Charlie Wilson's War, starring Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts, dropped to No. 6 with $8.1 million, lifting its total gross to $52 million after three weeks. Richard LaGravenese's romantic drama P.S. I Love You, with Hilary Swank and Gerard Butler, followed at No. 7, with a weekend gross of $8 million and a domestic total of $39.3 million.
Three films rounded out the top ten: Jay Russell's boy-and-his-underwater-monster fantasy The Water Horse (above) with $6.3 million; Tim Burton's horror musical Sweeney Todd with $5.4 million; and Joe Wright's drama Atonement, starring James McAvoy and Keira Knightley, with $5.1 million.
This upcoming weekend, four wide releases will challenge Book of Secrets for the No. 1 spot at the North American box office.
In David E. Talbert's comedy First Sunday, Ice Cube and Tracy Morgan plan to rob their neighborhood church to help an ex-girlfriend pay off her debt. First Sunday is scheduled to hit 2,000 theatres on Friday.
Also opening is The Pirates Who Don't Know Anything: A VeggieTales Movie, an animated adventure story about three vegetables who dream of putting on a pirate show.
Director Uwe Boll will return to the big screen with In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale, an actioner based on the popular video game of the same title. Starring Leelee Sobieski, Jason Statham, Ron Perlman, and Ray Liotta, In the Name of the King follows a man who sets out to rescue his kidnapped wife while facing an army of ruthless warriors ruled by an evil king.
Finally, Rob Reiner's drama The Bucket List will expand into 2,800 theatres on Friday. Starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman, the much-lambasted movie follows two cancer patients who leave the hospital to travel around the world and do all they can before they die.
Source: Box Office Mojo (www.boxofficemojo.com)
I don't think that NATIONAL TREASURE was AWFUL. I enjoy it so much!
NATIONAL TREASURE was AWFUL. What a horrible movie. A total waste of time.