Box office

HOLLYWOOD — The Christmas presents were opened several weeks ahead of schedule, but not for the studio that decorated the tree.

Disney’s A Christmas Carol, produced for nearly $200 million, opened to a weak $30 million in the United States and Canada last weekend, according to Box Office Mojo.

But the well-reviewed festival favorite Precious, which Lionsgate acquired at the Sundance Film Festival for $5.5 million, sold $2 million worth of tickets at just 18 theaters, setting a limited release record.

Columbia’s decision to extend the run of the Michael Jackson movie This Is It beyond the announced two weeks looked like a smart one last weekend as the behind-the-scenes concert film dropped only 40 percent on its second weekend, a modest decline for a film of its kind. Domestic ticket sales have reached $57 million, while the foreign total is $128.6 million.

Among the weekend’s other new films, The Men Who Stare at Goats and The Fourth Kind had decent starts, while The Box did not.

Goats collected an estimated $13 million. Overture Films paid close to $5 million for domestic rights to the comedy starring George Clooney, which cost $20 million to produce.

Low-budget alien-abduction flick The Fourth Kind, which Universal distributed for financier Gold Circle Films, opened to $12 million.

But Warner Bros.’ thriller The Box, which it co-financed with Radar Pictures and Media Rights Capital at a cost of $25 million, debuted to just $7.6 million.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Box Office Mojo.

1. A Christmas Carol, Disney, $30 million, 3,683 locations, $8,159 average, $30 million, one week.

2. This Is It, Columbia, $13 million, 3,481 locations, $3,780 average, $57 million, two weeks.

3. The Men Who Stare at Goats, Overture, $13 million, 2,443 locations, $5,201 average, $13 million, one week.

4. The Fourth Kind, Universal, $12 million, 2,527 locations, $4,840 average, $12 million, one week.

5. Paranormal Activity, Paramount, $8 million, 2,558 locations, $3,236 average, $97 million, seven weeks.

6. The Box, Warner Bros., $7.6 million, 2,635 locations, $2,873 average, $7.6 million, one week.

7. Couples Retreat, Universal, $6.1 million, 2,857 locations, $2,145 average, $96million, five weeks.

8. Law Abiding Citizen, Overture, $6 million, 2,474 locations, $2,427 average, $60 million, four weeks.

9. Where the Wild Things Are, Warner Bros., $4.1 million, 2,756 locations, $1,516 average, $69.2 million, four weeks.

10. Astro Boy, Summit, $3 million, 1,918 locations, $1,369 average, $15 million, three weeks.

11. Saw VI, Lionsgate, $2 million, 2,091 locations, $972average, $26 million, three weeks.

12. Precious, Lionsgate, $2 million, 18 locations, $104,025 average, $2 million, one week.

13. Amelia, Fox Searchlight, $2 million, 1,030 locations, $1,754 average, $11.3 million, three weeks.

14. The Stepfather, Columbia Screen Gems, $2 million, 1,424 locations, $1,264 average, $27.5 million, four weeks.

15. Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, Columbia, $1.3 million, 1,126 locations, $1,169 average, $121 million, eight weeks.

16. Zombieland, Columbia, $1.3 million, 1,100 locations, $1,178 average, $74 million, six weeks.

17. Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant, Universal, $1.1 million, 1,421 locations, $805 average, $13 million, three weeks.

18. A Serious Man, Focus, $863,750, 262 locations, $3,297 average, $6 million, six weeks.

19.An Education, Columbia Pictures Classics, $592,407, 88 locations, $7,137 average, $2.3 million, five weeks.

20. Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day, Apparition, $427,919, 105 locations, $4,075 average, $1.2 million, two weeks.

MovieStyle, Pages 36 on 11/13/2009

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