National Treasure 2 Wins Final Weekend
December 31, 2007

Nicolas Cage and the team behind National Treasure 2 continued to dominate the box office while Alvin and the Chipmunks also maintains one of the most impressive financial runs of the year, crossing $140 million in only seventeen days of release. National Treasure: Book of Secrets held on to the top spot at the box office, taking in an amazing $35.6 million in its second weekend and grossing $124 million in its first ten days of release, according to numbers posted by Box Office Mojo. Nicolas Cage and National Treasure: Book of Secrets has held off box office advances by Tom Hanks in Charlie Wilson's War and Johnny Depp in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, proving that this is a franchise with some serious legs. In its first ten days, the first National Treasure had only made $87 million in the fall of 2004. With so many sequels this year failing to meet the financial success of the previous installments, National Treasure 2 has to be seen as one of the biggest hits of the year.

Perhaps even a bigger story is the STUNNING take of Fox's Alvin and the Chipmunks, which opened with around $45 million three weekends ago and is still taking in an estimated $30 million for a total of $142.4 million after seventeen days. On a budget of only $60 million and before international and home market grosses, the Jason Lee flick is an amazing success, one of the biggest of the year and actually went up 6.5% this weekend. Every family in the country seems to be going to see Alvin and the Chipmunks, usually more than once.

I Am Legend is the other gigantic hit of the season, dropping only 18% in its third weekend for an estimated $27.5 million and $194.6 million to date. I Am Legend is already in the top ten grossing films of the year and seems likely to pass both Ratatouille and 300, making it the seventh biggest film of the year. It could even pass The Bourne Ultimatum for the number six spot. Will Smith is one of the biggest stars, if not THE biggest, in the world when it comes to box office.

Two films did open wide on Christmas, so this was technically their first weekend in release, and neither did extremely well. Alien vs. Predator: Requiem landed the number six spot with only $10.1 million and a total gross of $26.9 million in six days of release. Alien did fare better than The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep, which has only managed $16.8 million in its first six days, after adding another $9.2 million this weekend.

The rest of the top ten were filled out by Charlie Wilson's War in fourth place with $11.8 million and $34.5 million to date, Juno in fifth place with $10.3 million and $25.7 million to date, P.S. I Love You in eighth place with $9.1 million and $23.4 million to date, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street in ninth place with $8 million and $26.7 million to date, and Enchanted in tenth place with $6.5 million and $110.7 million to date.

National Treasure: Book of Secrets and Alvin and the Chipmunks are likely to continue their one-two domination this weekend, as the only new major release is the horror film One Missed Call, which is unlikely to make much of a splash at all. Keep an eye on the wide release of Juno, the film that actually had the highest per screen of the weekend and is likely to rocket into the top three this coming weekend.

For related stories, check out our interviews with Nicolas Cage, Jason Lee, and Will Smith.