I Am Legend Breaks Box Office Records
December 17, 2007

If there was any doubt before that the most reliable box office star in the world right now is Will Smith, there should be no more after his I Am Legend shattered expectations and broke records at the ticket counter this past weekend. And Will wasn't alone. Audiences came out like it was the 4th of July this weekend, making the number two movie, Alvin and the Chipmunks, one of the biggest hits of the year. Legend and Alvin made more money than anyone could have possibly predicted, proving that you never know what the next smash is going to be. Just ask the people who made The Golden Compass. After weeks of below average box office, Will Smith, a few vampires, Jason Lee, and some animated chipmunks made history.

Warner Brothers was hoping for a very good December opening in the $40-million range. They got the best December opening of all time at an estimated $76.5 million, beating the previous record-holder, Lord of the Rings: Return of the King. I Am Legend appealed to multiple demographics, across age, gender, and race, and became Will Smith's seventh number one opener in a row. He's the legend. I Am Legend was Will Smith's fifth film to open with over $50 million and the biggest opener of his career. Think about that. I Am Legend beat both Bad Boys movies, both Men in Black movies, and Independence Day in its first frame. I Am Legend landed the fifth best opening weekend of the year behind four sequels, all of which were released in the summer. It's a monster hit.

Another monster hit that might not get as much press because of the smash of I Am Legend is Alvin and the Chipmunks, which made a stunning $45 million, a number that blew away expectations and nearly matched the film's budget, according to Box Office Mojo. That's the 14th highest opening of the year, which is amazing for a non-summer movie, especially one where the biggest stars are Jason Lee and an animated rodent named Alvin.

Also opening this weekend, the BIG bomb, The Perfect Holiday, which made $2.6 million in its first three days and $3.2 million in its first five. Almost as many people saw This Christmas in its fourth weekend as saw The Perfect Holiday in its first.

The big holdover story this weekend has to be the bad word-of-mouth on The Golden Compass, which dropped a horrific 65% to make only $9 million in its second frame and a dismal $41 million in its first ten days. On a budget near $200 million, you can pretty much guarantee that there won't be versions of the second and third books in Phillip Pullman's trilogy. At least not for a long time.

The other films in the top this weekend included Enchanted ($6 million/$92.3 million total), No Country For Old Men ($3 million/$33.6 million total), Fred Claus ($2.3 million/$69 million total), This Christmas ($2.3 million/$46 million total), Atonement ($1.9 million/$3 million total), and August Rush ($1.8 million/$28.1 million total).

Next weekend sees a major crop of films trying for box office gold including Johnny Depp in Sweeney Todd, Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts in Charlie Wilson's War, John C. Reilly in Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, Hilary Swank in P.S. I Love You, and Nicolas Cage in National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets. Who will be number one? Or will Will Smith holdover another week? Place your bets.