TANGLED CLIMBS TO TOP OF BOX OFFICE

The weekend after Thanksgiving typically sees a lot of empty seats in theaters — and there were even more of them than usual this year. The only film to live up to expectations was Disney’s Tangled, which took in an estimated $21.5 million. But results for Warner Bros.’ Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1, which were expected to come in close to Tangled’s, were positively, well, deathly. The film dropped 66 percent in its third week to $16.7 million, bringing its gross to $244.2 million. The Warrior’s Way, the only film to open wide this weekend, flopped miserably, earning just $3.1 million. On the other hand, two films that opened in limited release performed as if it were the peak of summer. The Black Swan, which received cheers from most critics on Friday, took in $1.44 million from just 18 theaters — or an average of $80,212 per theater. And I Love You, Phillip Morris, which played in just 6 theaters, earned $113,500 – or a per-theater average of $18,900. By contrast, No. 1 Tangled averaged $6,000 per theater. Overall, the box office was down 11.5 percent from the same weekend a year ago.

The top ten films for the weekend, according to studio estimates compiled by Box Office Mojo:

1. Tangled, $21.5 million; 2. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, $16.7 million; 3 (Tie) Burlesque, $6.1 million; 3 (Tie) Unstoppable, $6.1 million; 5. Love & Other Drugs, $5.7 million; 6. Megamind, $5 million; 7. Due Date, $4.2 million; 8. Faster, $3.8 million; 9. The Warrior’s Way, $3.1 million; 10. The Next Three Days, $2.7 million.

UPDATE
Final Figures for the Top Five Films

1. Tangled, $21,608,891
2. Harry Potter…, $17,018,475
3. Burlesque, $6,130,061
4. Unstoppable, $5,970,194
5. Love and Other Drugs, $5,652,810