Posted:
By AP
Another fantasy world has joined Hollywood's instant-blockbuster club. Disney's The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe -- adapted from C.S. Lewis's tale of enchantment, epic battles and talking animals -- debuted as the weekend's top movie with $67.1 million US, according to studio estimates yesterday. Expanding countrywide after two weekends in limited release, the Warner Bros. thriller Syriana, an oil-industry saga whose ensemble cast includes George Clooney and Matt Damon, ran second with $12 million. Warner's Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, the No. 1 film the previous two weekends, slipped to third with $10.3 million, raising its domestic total to $244.1 million.
Another fantasy world has joined Hollywood's instant-blockbuster club. Disney's The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe -- adapted from C.S. Lewis's tale of enchantment, epic battles and talking animals -- debuted as the weekend's top movie with $67.1 million US, according to studio estimates yesterday. Expanding countrywide after two weekends in limited release, the Warner Bros. thriller Syriana, an oil-industry saga whose ensemble cast includes George Clooney and Matt Damon, ran second with $12 million. Warner's Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, the No. 1 film the previous two weekends, slipped to third with $10.3 million, raising its domestic total to $244.1 million.
Chronicles of Narnia kicked off what is likely to be a strong finish for Hollywood after a box-office slump that has lingered most of the year, leaving attendance down seven per cent compared to 2004.
The top 12 movies took in $117.8 million, up 17 per cent from the same weekend last year. Right behind Chronicles of Narnia comes Peter Jackson's remake of King Kong, expected to open to huge audiences. Chronicles of Narnia follows the Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings films as the latest fantasy franchise making the leap from book to screen courtesy of dazzling computer animation. Chronicles of Narnia follows four siblings who cross into an alternate world, where they join unicorns, centaurs, a talking lion and other beasts to battle an evil witch. Though Universal's King Kong will compete for much of the same audience, distributor Disney expects business to remain strong for Chronicles of Narnia. In limited release, Academy Awards hopefuls Brokeback Mountain and Memoirs of a Geisha had stellar debuts. Brokeback Mountain took in $544,549 in just five theatres. Memoirs of a Geisha, starring Ziyi Zhang, grossed $674,000 in eight theatres.
Both films go into more theatres Friday and continue to expand through awards season.
Bade Achhe Lagte Hain
Hindi TV Shows
CID
Music Corner
