Box Office Update for 12/9-12/11: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe blasted out of the gate. It fell a little shy of the $67 million estimate, but still came in well ahead of the rest of the pack. It will draw inevitable comparisons to the Lord of the Rings franchise, but outside of the fantasy setting, they do not have much in common. Narnia is a fun fantasy/adventure that is safe for the family, all except the youngest members.

Narnia actually seems to be in a decent position going into next weekend, where it faces off with King Kong. Kong is sure to draw in king sized audiences, which translates to sold out shows, which translates to people still wanting to see a movie. The logical replacement will be the other fantasy related film in release, not to mention one which has been garnering good reviews. Time will tell.

The other film reaching an expanded audience this week is Syriana. It has been out for 3 weeks now, but it has now gone national in release. This is another good film, although I suspect it will take a few viewings to really catch all that is going on.

In other Top Ten news, there are a few films continuing to hold strong. One of those films is Walk the Line, which is doing better than Ray did this time last year. It is a good film that is elevated by the work of its lead actors. Another film holding an audience is, believe it or not, Just Friends. I would have figured this one to fall off the charts by now.

Then there is Harry Potter. This one is beginning to lose a little bit of steam. Its take is slowing, and it may not reach the $300 million plateau. That hinges on how well Narnia and Kong perform, as it will be competing with Narnia for the Kong overflow.

Now for a some non-Top Ten notes. The Polar Express is doing well in its return engagement in IMAX 3d. It placed 12th on this week's list, almost reaching the $1 million mark. There were two limited release films that pulled in remarkable per screen averages of $85,313 and $109,485, for Memoirs of a Geisha and Brokeback Mountain, respectively. Those numbers are quite extraordinary, and most assuredly going to drop as the releases widen.

This Week	Last Week	Title	Wknd Gross	Overall	Week in release
1	N	The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe	$65,556,312	$65,556,312	1
2	19	Syriana	$11,737,143	$13,236,572	3
3	1	Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire	$10,265,443	$244,069,305	4
4	3	Walk the Line	$5,738,176	$76,991,362	4
5	4	Yours, Mine, and Ours	$5,051,879	$40,819,218	23
6	2	Aeon Flux	$4,561,619	$20,218,288	2
7	5	Just Friends	$3,808,637	$26,372,794	3
8	8	Pride and Prejudice	$2,579,523	$26,473,313	5
9	7	Chicken Little	$2,306,627	$127,280,176	6
10	6	Rent	$2,004,157	$26,915,863	3