office still in our sights – Hollywood finishes dismal box office year

While inflation and pricey 3-D tickets drove revenues above $10 billion for only the second time, the number of tickets sold was the lowest since 1996, when 1.33 billion moviegoers clicked through turnstiles. Back then, a movie cost $4.42 a ticket. ‘Little Fockers’ finds Greg Focker ( Ben Stiller ) finally in range of father-in-law Jack’s ( Robert De Niro ) good graces when he’s asked to become the family’s next patriarch, aka “The GodFocker.” As expected, anything that can possibly go wrong goes wrong with flying colors, and as Greg’s twins’ birthday approaches, he must prove he’s got what it takes to become the man of the house. Costing a modest $38 million to produce, True Grit grossed an estimated $24.5 million from 3,083 theaters for the weekend to reach  $86.8 million.

The movies, all either sequels or remakes, were unchanged in rank from last weekend. Meanwhile, the Coen brothers-directed western ‘True Grit’ came in at No. 2 for the second weekend in a row, grossing another $24.5 million. And there’s little sign yet of recovery. True Grit  came in No. 2 for New Year’s weekend behind Universal’s Little Fockers , which has turned in a softer-than-expected performance, even while topping the domestic box office chart. Coming in at No. 5 was ‘The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader,’ grossing $10.5 million. The film, expected to compete for Oscar’s biggest prizes, has earned $86.8 million in two weeks, making it already the highest grossing film for Joel and Ethan Coen . The holiday season in 2009 was unusually strong, largely because of James Cameron’s “Avatar,” which was on its way to becoming the biggest modern blockbuster with $2.8 billion worldwide.

Tron: Legacy continued to play well, raking in $18.3 million this weekend and lifting its three-week total to $130.9 million. Save for True Grit  and other top awards contenders, the Christmas season has been a disappointment for Hollywood studios. “What made the difference last year was just that incredible combination of films,” said Paul Dergarabedian, Hollywood.com box-office analyst. It’s already the most successful Coen brothers film ever, with a total gross of $86.8 million, and is on its way to grossing well over $100 million. “Little Fockers” has done good business despite bad reviews for the third installment in De Niro and Stiller’s “Meet the Parents” franchise. “I’m sorry the business isn’t better for the industry overall, but having said that, it doesn’t make a difference for us. “Considering it’s the third time around, not so bad.” “True Grit” is a rare hit Western — once a Hollywood staple but a genre that has all but vanished. Tron  placed No. 3 over New Years weekend at the domestic box office, grossing an estimated $18.3 million from 3,365 theaters for a cume of $130.9 million. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader rounded out the top five with $10.5 million, bringing its four-week total to $87.1 million.

Final figures are due Monday.

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