Movie Box Office: November 16 – 18, 2007
With a budget of $150 million, and despite snagging the top box office spot, Paramount's and director Robert Zemeckis' Beowulf wasn't exactly the dragon slayer it was hoped for with an opening weekend of just over $27 million. However, the movie's innovative use of motion capture and the latest in 3D digital projection techniques is being called the future of the film business. In fact, it looks like almost 40% of the box office take was from the 3D version, and Dreamworks has declared that all of it's future animated flicks will be released in 3D - bolstered by the fact that a significant number of theatres have installed the latest in digital technology. Having seen the movie at our local IMAX over the weekend, we have to state that the presentation was stunning.
Jerry Seinfeld's "Bee Movie" dropped into second place, with Ridley Scott's "American Gangster" claiming third.
Dustin Hoffman and "Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium" weren't so wonderful, garnering mediocre reviews from both critics and moviegoers, while the Coen brother's "No Country for Old Men" was a standout, finishing in seventh place, despite the fact that is was on only 148 screens.
Last weekend's full top 10 was as follows:
1. Beowulf - $27.5 M
2. Bee Movie - $14 M
3. American Gangster - $12.8 M
4. Fred Claus - $11.9 M
5. Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium - $9.6 M
6. Dan in Real Life - $4.3 M
7. No Country for Old Men - $3.1 M
8. Lions for Lambs - $2.9 M
9. Saw IV - $2.3 M
10. Love in the Time of Cholera - $1.9 M