“National Treasure: Book of Secrets” Opens with $44.5M Weekend. “Sweeney Todd,” “Charlie Wilson’s War” and “P.S. I Love You” all open strong, “Walk Hard” needs crutches.

By Jeffrey Jolson

HOLLYWOOD, CA (Hollywood Today) 12/22/07 – “National Treasure 2” struck box office booty for Nicolas Cage, who had a personal best with an estimated $44.5 million for its premiere weekend and two days to go in a five-day Christmas holiday.

Super-solid holdovers “I Am Legend” with Will Smith with $34 million and the helium-voiced “Alvin and the Chipmunks” with $29 million filled the No. 2 and No. 3 spot respectively and respectably.

“Charlie Wilson’s War” fought hard for a $9.6 million opening three days and the No. 4 slot, making it seem more a police action than a war. Box office beacon Tom Hanks is used to openings several times larger than that and the No. 1 or No. 2 position. Hanks last starring portrait, “The DaVicni Code,” opened to $77 million and even the modest “The Terminal” bowed with $22 million.

Julia Roberts, whom some of the media keep calling “The Biggest Female Star in Hollywood,” is in range of her recent films like “Closer,” which opened with $7.7 million, just not with her heyday in 1999 – 2001 when her films consistently opened around $30 million. “Erin Brokovich” bowed at $28M, “Runaway Bride” premiered with $35M, “Notting Hill” came in at $28M and “America’s Sweethearts” opened with $30M.

“Charlie Wilson’s War” was hamstrung by a competitive weekend – but it was of Universal Studios own choosing. The film was originally scheduled for a Christmas day release, and pushed up as late as Dec. 2 (see related HT story) with a vote of confidence from the studio in the biggest box office guns it could present. For one thing, the studio had to scramble its marketing efforts to let folks know it wasn’t really a war film, even though it was about the fighting in Afghanistan in a roundabout way.

Johnny Depp’s “Sweeney Todd:The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” had a razor sharp $9.5 million opening weekend, very good for a Broadway musical adaptation, as they usually do not cut very deep into the box office. Plus the film only opened on 1,250 screens, less than half of some of its competition. It was driven by the charms of Depp playing another ghoulish, yet misunderstood character in a Tim Burton film (“Edward Scissorhands”) despite the fact he had never sang in a film before (See related HT interviews).

Another surprise this weekend was “P.S. I Love You” coming in at No. 6 with $6.5M on the crowded frame and mega-marketed “Walk Hard” having a rough road to No. 9.

While “P.S. I Love You” had Hilary Swank (see related HT article), whose “The Reaping” and “The Black Dahlia” bowed with $10 million, the film about finding a new life after her husband’s death did not track that well, ranking only #38 on the imdb MovieMeter.

On the other hand, interest level was high for music spoof “Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story” the latest comedy from Judd Apatow, who could do no wrong this year with “Superbad” and “Knocked Up” both knocking them dead at theaters. It was the first starring vehicle for John C. Reilly (see related HT interviews), yet Apatow’s other films this year haven’t had headliners either. “Walk Hard” had a decided limp with only $4.1 million over the three day weekend. It had been expected to jog in at $10 million.

In No. 7 and No. 8 positions, were fantasy films “The Golden Compass” and “Enchanted” with acclaimed “Juno” rounding out the Top 10.