Disney tops box office for second week

By Damara Popoola

HOLLYWOOD, CA (Hollywood Today) 12/2/07 – Audiences remained under the spell of America’s favorite new princess Amy Adams and Disney’s fairy-tale-meets-reality film “Enchanted” this weekend. The princess pic topped the box office for a second weekend with just over $17 million.

“This Christmas” also made camp at a familiar spot, securing second place for the second week in a row with $8.4 million. With a budget of just $13 million the holiday ensemble – starring Loretta Divine, Regina King, and pop-phenom Chris Brown – has already far exceeded expectations with a 2-week total gross of $36.9 million. Epic and experimental, “Beowulf” also fought off the competition to hold on to third place for a second week with $7.9 million.

The only new movie able to crack the top ten was surgical thriller “Awake” starring Hayden Christensen and Jessica Alba. Christensen plays a young tycoon who undergoes a long-awaited heart transplant only to discover during the procedure that, although paralyzed, he can hear and feel everything going on around him. Alba plays Christensen’s new wife who must rescue him from the predicament as well as some morally dubious surgeons. Though the film didn’t get much promotion it did manage to open at number four with an estimated $6 million.

Down one from last week to fifth place, “Hitman” earned $5.8 million. Holding over from last week, Christmas comedy “Fred Claus” stayed put at number six with $5.5 million. Also not budging was family drama “August Rush” in seventh place for a second week with $5.2 million.

Up three from last week, the Coen Brothers’ “No Country for Old Men” advanced to eighth place with $4.5 million although still showing in just under 1000 theaters nationwide. The biggest drop of the week, “Bee Movie” slid four to number nine with $4.5 million. Still, after five weeks the animated adventure has grossed an estimated $117.6 million.

Refusing to be counted out, Universal’s “American Gangster” hung on at tenth with $4.3 million. The ambitious gangster biopic, starring Russell Crowe and Denzel Washington, has earned a total gross of $121. 7 million in five weeks.