Weekend Estimates: Princess Leaps to Top of Chart

December 13, 2009

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Disney claimed top spot at the box office this weekend as The Princess and the Frog expanded nationwide. But with a weekend box office estimated at $25 million, the movie will need to have great legs over the holidays if Disney's going to recoup its investment. The movie has good reviews and is ideal family fare, so its chances are good, but the studio is looking at the same nail biting exercise as they're going through with A Christmas Carol, which opened with $30 million and reached an estimated $124 million this weekend.

The Blind Side continued its fantastic run in second place wth $15.5 million, down 23% from last weekend. It has now topped $150 million. Invictus opened in third with an estimated $9.1 million, and will be another movie hoping for good legs through the holidays. Its opening per theater average, at $4,300, suggests it will need really good word-of-mouth to hold its own over the coming weeks.

In limited release, Up in the Air continued its impressive run with $2.45 million in just 72 theaters, for an average of $34,000. A Single Man picked up $216,000 in nine venues for Weinstein. But the per theater average chart topper was The Lovely Bones, which debuted with an impressive $116,000 in three locations.

- Weekend Estimates

Filed under: Weekend Estimates, Up in the Air, A Single Man, The Blind Side, Invictus, Disney’s A Christmas Carol, The Princess and the Frog, The Lovely Bones