Who will win this weekend's Box Office 12/1-12/3?

[Brian Damage]

Can Happy Feet remain #1?

Happy Feet
Casino Royal
Turistas
The Nativity Story
Van Wilder: The Rise of Taj

[Janice]

I'll take Happy Feet for $200, Alex.

[Brian Damage]

I'll take Happy Feet for $200, Alex.

Yeah, this sure looks like a weak weekend for movies.

[Brad Russ]

The Nativity Story. And I'm going to be one of the people shelling out the money to see it. :D

[CheersChild4life]

I'm saying The Nativity Story

[Brian Damage]

1 CASINO ROYALE
Sony / Columbia

$4,625,000


2 HAPPY FEET
Warner Bros.

$4,350,000


3 DEJA VU
Buena Vista

$3,500,000

4 THE NATIVITY STORY
New Line

$2,400,000


5 DECK THE HALLS
Fox

$1,800,000

6 BORAT: CULTURAL LEARNINGS OF AMERICA FOR MAKE BENEFIT GLORIOUS NATION OF KAZAKHSTAN
Fox

$1,450,000


7 TURISTAS
Fox Atomic

$1,250,000


8 THE SANTA CLAUSE 3: THE ESCAPE CLAUSE
Buena Vista

$1,150,000


9 STRANGER THAN FICTION
Sony / Columbia

$950,000


10 NATIONAL LAMPOON'S VAN WILDER: THE RISE OF TAJ
MGM

$925,000

[Brian Damage]

Happy Feet

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - The weekend after the extended Thanksgiving holiday is typically dismal at the box office because holiday shopping is usually on the minds of most would-be moviegoers.

"Happy Feet" and "Casino Royale" are likely to dominate sales as they have for the past two weekends, though industry insiders expect them to drop at least 50%. That would place them at about $18 million and $15 million, respectively, for the three days beginning Friday.

Of the three new releases, only "The Nativity Story" is expected to have much of an impact, with industry insiders putting its opening in the $12 million-$15 million range.


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After an aggressive church-targeted campaign, New Line Cinema is hoping the faithful will come out in droves for the G-rated "Nativity." But the percentage of group sales through church organizations is not looking nearly as significant as it was for the box office bonanza that was Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ."

Starring Keisha Castle-Hughes ("Whale Rider") as Mary and Oscar Isaac as Joseph, "Nativity" was directed by Catherine Hardwicke ("thirteen," "Lords of Dogtown"). If the Christian audience is sparked by the biblical themes, it could reach the $18 million.

Fox Atomic's first feature, "Turistas" from director John Stockwell, also bows Friday. The R-rated horror film stars Josh Duhamel, Melissa George and Olivia Wilde as tourists marooned in a remote Brazilian jungle. The film is not expected to do much business. Early reviews have not been kind, and industry insiders are putting the opening take in the $5 million range.

MGM is hoping to better the modest success of Artisan's "Van Wilder," which grossed $21 million in 2002, with the sequel "Van Wilder 2: The Rise of Taj." But the R-rated comedy wasn't screened for critics and looks as if it will be dead on arrival at the box office. It will be a feat if it reaches the $5 million mark in its opening frame.

In limited release, indie ThinkFilm bows the Morgan Freeman starrer "10 Items or Less" in two markets. Freeman, whose production company financed the movie with Intel Corp., plays an aged actor who meets a quirky grocery store clerk (Paz Vega) while researching a role. And MGM opens its recent acquisition "Two Weeks," starring Sally Field as a dying matriarch, in one theater in New York.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter