$76 million worth. A $21,000 per-theater-average in 3,600 theaters worth. Either that, or "I Am Legend" affords the world yet another chance to watch the destruction of New York City -- always boffo box office. It's Smith or apocalypse; there's nothing else in the movie.
Even more shocking: "Alvin and the Chipmunks" (photo, above) made $45 million, much more than expected. People seem to like the thing, which means A) cultural standards continue to plummet, B) the appeal of CGI rodents speaking in cute high-pitched voices shouldn't be underestimated, C) families were going stir-crazy with the weather and were willing to watch anything, D) all of the above. I say it's spinach and I say the hell with it.
"The Golden Compass" tanked, down 65% in its second week. Better read the second book if you want to know what happens.
Things are cooking in limited release land, though: the latest knocked-up farce, "Juno," broadened from seven theaters to 40 and still pulled in an assured $36,000 per house (must be all those heavenly reviews), while "Atonement" expanded to 117 screens and averaged $16,000 per -- those seven Golden Globe nominations undoubtedly helped. "The Kite Runner" debuted this week in 35 theaters and did a $12,000 per-theater-average -- quite remarkable for a foreign language movie with no known stars. Thank benevolent critical buzz and a halo around the source novel's reputation.
Here's the Box Office Mojo chart. Movie City News' Leonard Klady also has further B.O. tea-leaf reading.
