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'Precious' is a box office surprise; 'Christmas Carol' rings in at number one
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She's "Precious" -- Gabourey 'Gabby' Sidibe at the 57th San Sebastian Film Festival.
Media pundits are making plenty of noise for the record setting bow of indie darling "Precious," despite the solid debut of "Disney's A Christmas Carol." This weekend's industry headlines were a true holiday gift for Lionsgate, which may be looking at the season's first real Oscar contender thanks to a trio of acclaimed performances delivered by comedian Mo'Nique, singer Mariah Carey and the unforgettable debut of Gabourey Sidabe in the title role.
Presented by twin titans Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry, the limited release of "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire" did make good on predictions to tally the weekend's best screen average. Lee Daniels' urban drama posted a record $1.8 million from 18 theaters, which breaks down to a beautiful $100,000 average.
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After heavy promotion from Walt Disney Studios, the curtain raised on "A Christmas Carol" to the tune of $31 million from 3,683 locations. With a voice cast comprised of Jim Carrey, Colin Firth, Robin Wright Penn and Bob Hoskins, expectations were for "Carol" to register a higher opening weekend as the first true Holiday and family film of the season. Competition will only increase for Robert Zemeckis' latest foray into 3D animation as Sony's "Planet 51" and Disney's own "The Princess and the Frog" enter the fray. Will this 21st century take on a Christmas classic hold for the holidays? Stay tuned.
As for the rest of this starry weekend of newcomers, holdover "Michael Jackson's This Is It" rallied to take second place with $14million in its second session, down 40% for a domestic cume of $57.9 million. Meanwhile, overseas, the docu-concert film has already surpassed $100 million. Overture Films scored third place with its poli-com "The Men Who Stare at Goats" starring George Clooney, which laughed up $13 million from 2,443 theaters. The alien abduction thriller "The Fourth Kind" starring Milla Jovovich materialized in fourth place with $12.5 million off 2,527 sites. And Paramount's "Paranormal Activity" kept its grip in fifth place with $8.6 million, raising its box office fortune to $97.4 million as it starts its seventh weekend. Landing out of the Weekend Final Five was Cameron Diaz and "The Box," which debuted with $7.9 million from 2,635 locations.
Will "Precious" continue to garner national attention as it begins an expanded run? It faces strong indie competition from Wes Anderson's first foray into animation with Fox Searchlight's "The Fantastic Mr. Fox" and Focus Features' "Pirate Radio." Will any one stand a chance against the end of the world prophecy delivered by "2012?" Who will survive this crucial 2009 Holiday Film season? Find out next weekend in Examiner.com
Keep reading Personalities on Examiner.com as your leading source of industry and celebrity news.
For more on the Weekend Final Five, including ticket and theater information, click on Fandango.
What will YOU be watching tonight?
"Pirate Radio" is "The Boat That Rocked!"
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