‘Little Fockers’ Beats ‘True Grit’ at Christmas Box Office

Though the comedy leads the chart, it is Coen brothers’ drama that has a stronger-than-expected result with about $25 million. Despite some people’s hesitance about this follow-up to ” Meet the Fockers “, the PG-13 comedy still becomes number one choice for family entertainment on this holiday with an estimated $34 million opening cume. – Viewers wanting to spend the holidays with a dysfunctional family other than their own helped secure “Little Fockers” the top spot. Little Fockers led the box office over the three-day Christmas weekend, taking in a healthy $34 million, according to studio estimates.

“It’s a very positive result and hopefully a blueprint for success over the next few weeks when the larger moviegoing pool is available.” But it is ” True Grit ” which deserves the praise. Made with only $38 million budget, Ethan and Joel Coen’s remake of the 1969 Western movie debuts at number two with an approximately $25.6 million, which is beyond expectation. The Coen Brothers-directed Western “True Grit” was a surprisingly strong No. 2 with $36.8 million in the same five-day period. That’s nearly double the studio’s original estimate and marks the biggest opening ever for a Coen Bros. film, trampling “Burn After Reading’s” $19.1 million. As a result, total Christmas weekend grosses tumbled 45 percent from a year ago, when the blockbuster “Avatar” dominated, according to Hollywood.com. It is also the biggest first weekend for a Western since 1999’s “Wild Wild West.” It’s undoubtedly a more respectable entry in the genre than that Wild Wild Mess, nabbing a B+ CinemaScore grade from audiences and, surprising considering the type of film it is, an A- from those younger than 25. True Grit , Joel and Ethan Coen ‘s version of the 1968 Charles Portis novel about a 14-year-old girl who hires a drunken U.S. marshal to track down her father’s killer, also did well this holiday weekend, earning $25.6 million. The filmmakers’ previous top debut was “Burn After Reading,” which earned $19 million in its first weekend in 2008. Coming in third was TRON: Legacy , the sequel to the 1982 sci-fi cult favorite TRON . The digitized sequel will have to keep going strong if it hopes to get in the black considering its sizable budget. “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader” and “Yogi Bear” round out the Top 5, showing that families looking for wholesome entertainment had no problem choosing something a few weeks old over the stale-on-delivery “Gulliver’s Travels,” which debuted at No. 7 with a Lilliputian $7.2 million. Three people close to the film said its budget was between $130 million and $140 million, though a spokeswoman for Universal said the cost was about $100 million. But even those factors aside, the mishmash of critical failures and underperforming blockbusters made it a notably lackluster holiday for Hollywood.

“The King’s Speech,” which experienced its first major expansion, received a quite eloquent $4.6 million in 700 theaters, giving it a $6,511 per-screen average. “In terms of the big blockbusters, no way can we live up to last year.” Though Dergarabedian noted timing and weather were worse this year, he said: “Ultimately, it comes down to the product.” The most remarkable bright spot was the Coen brothers’ authentic adaptation of Charles Portis’ 1968 novel and remake of the 1969 film starring John Wayne. Definitely not a disaster, but still not the numbers that the powers-that-be wanted. The sci-fi adds an estimated $20.1 million to its domestic gross. Top Ten Movies at Box Office for December 24-26: ” Little Fockers ” – $34 million ” True Grit ” – $25.6 million ” Tron Legacy ” – $20.1 million ” The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader ” – $10.8 million ” Yogi Bear ” – $8.8 million ” The Fighter ” – $8.5 million ” Gulliver’s Travels ” – $7.2 million ” Black Swan ” – $6.6 million ” Tangled ” – $6.5 million ” The Tourist ” – $5.7 million

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