Flushed Away takes 3 spot
Aardman/DreamWorks movie opens slightly higher than expectations
(Source: www.boxofficemojo.com)
Flushed Away didn't explode into theatres, but at least it didn't go down the tubes.
The second (and final) collaboration between DreamWorks Animation and British-based Aardman Animation opened in 3rd place, raking in $18,814,323 at the box office. This was a better opening than for their previous movie, Wallace and Gromit in the Curse of the Were-Rabbit, which opened on October 5, 2005 with $16 million.
It remains to be seen whether or not Flushed Away will hang on in the Top 10 now that Oscar season is starting. Family-oriented animated films tend to have strong "legs" in theatres but American audiences are notorious for their ethnocentricity. A case in point: Wallace and Gromit in the Curse of the Were-Rabbit only made $56 million in North America, despite the fact that it won the 2005 Oscar for Best Animated Feature Film.
Sony's Open Season dropped from #5 to #9 this week, adding another $2,968,832 to its 6-week total. On a more positive note, this movie is closing in on profitability, within $5 million of making back the studio's investment of $86 million.
Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas in 3-D is still doing well, taking the #21 spot with $776,576. That movie has pulled in over $7 million in its 3 weeks, good numbers for a re-release that's only in a limited number of theatres.
Anyway, here's the complete list:
3) Flushed Away (A/DW): $18,814,323 (NEW)
9) Open Season (Sony): $2,968,832 ($81,254,598 over 6 weeks)
21) Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas in 3-D (B.V.): $776,576 ($7,415,808 over 3 weeks)
48) The Ant Bully (W.B.): $53,350 ($28,075,347 over 15 weeks)
52) Everyone's Hero (Fox): $40,198 ($14,439,883 over 8 weeks)
