Last week's big winners did not signal a trend of big November openings as Fred Claus stumbled out of the gate to a third place finish behind last week's top two. It would seem that bad word of mouth got out early and took a bite out of its expected open. I actually saw it, and liked it. It is better than the reviews would have you believe, but not nearly as good as I would have liked.
Of course, the commercials didn't help much, spotlighting the secret service elves, which were among the worst elements of the movie. Anyway, Fred failed to capture the minds of the audience and will likely not reach the Elf-like numbers that the studio had been hoping for.
This week's top two earners also happened to be the top two earners from last week. The only difference is that they swapped positions. Bee Movie leapfrogged over American Gangster to take over the top spot. The Jerry Seinfeld-starring animation showed a good hold from last week, slipping just 31%. The movie is fun, has good animation, but suffers a bit from its message. American Gangster also proved to have a good hold despite slipping to second place. It is still doing well with audiences and has good word of mouth. I may not like it as much as some, but it is still a solid film that is well worth spending some time with.
In addition to Fred Claus, two other films made their appearance on the big screen. First up is the Tom Cruise-produced Lions for Lambs, which was helmed by Robert Redford and is the debut for the revived United Artists (which Cruise bought a while back after being dropped form his Paramount deal). It is another war-themed film and yet another to receive a lukewarm box office reception. This is likely the weakest of the bunch as it amounts to a 90 minute lecture by big name Hollywood faces. The other is the highly effective thriller P2, placing a distant ninth. From producer and co-writer Alexandre Aja, this film teaches you to be wary of the parking garage attendant on cold, lonely nights when yours is the only car left. Definitely worth spending some time with.
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