Jumper was no Ghost Rider. And so this President's Day weekend was no holiday for Hollywood.
Box-office business down nearly 16 percent from a year ago, and down nearly one-third from last weekend, per final studio figures compiled Tuesday by Exhibitor Relations.
Director Doug Liman's Jumper did land in the top spot, with a Friday-Sunday debut of $27.4 million, and an overall Friday-Monday take of $32.1 million.
But the action film, featuring a hopscotching Hayden Christensen, couldn't make the leap to killer status like 2007's Ghost Rider, which collected $52 million over the same holiday weekend.
The family fantasy film The Spiderwick Chronicles, which took second with $19 million Friday-Sunday, and $24.7 million Friday-Monday, was a little closer to its '07 President's Day counterpart, Bridge to Terabithia. But it was still no match for the latter's $28.5 million four-day opening.
Also falling short of last year's lineup was the romantic-comedy Definitely, Maybe (fifth place, $9.8 million Friday-Sunday, $11.5 million Friday-Monday), which definitely did not establish Ryan Reynolds as the new Hugh Grant. (Last President's Day weekend, Grant and Drew Barrymore's Music and Lyrics scored $15.9 million.)
About the only film to step up was Step Up 2: The Streets (third place). The dance movie did its thing, grossing $18.9 million from Friday-Sunday ($22.1 million Friday-Monday). Per Box Office Mojo stats, it is the fourth-biggest opening dance movie ever, if only because tickets for the likes of Saturday Night Fever, Flashdance and Dirty Dancing used to be way cheaper.
Hollywood, meanwhile, is hoping its next holiday weekend is a happier one.
Elsewhere:
- The Oscars are coming; the Best Picture nominees are going. Juno, the biggest and only box-office hit of the bunch, fell to seventh place ($4.6 million Friday-Sunday, $5.6 million Friday-Monday; $125 million overall). There Will Be Blood ($3 million Friday-Sunday, $3.7 million Friday-Monday; $31.6 million overall) dropped out of the top 10. No Country for Old Men ($2.3 million Friday-Monday, $61.3 million overall), Atonement ($1.8 million Friday-Monday; $47.8 million overall) and Michael Clayton ($1.2 million Friday-Monday; $47.7 million overall) hung around for those cramming for next weekend's ceremony.
- The Bucket List (eighth place, $4 million Friday-Sunday, $4.7 million Friday-Monday; $81.7 million) isn't up for any Oscars, although it could probably buy some with all the money it's made.
- Last weekend's champ, Fool's Gold (fourth place, $12.9 million Friday-Sunday, $14.9 million Friday-Monday; $43.8 million overall), predictably fell from the top slot. But, given this box-office age, business held up well, falling "only" 40 percent.
- The top 10 run for Rambo ($2.4 million Friday-Monday; $40.6 million overall) lasted just three weekends. If the film doesn't come up with another $7.5 million or so, it'll go down as the lowest grossing film in the John Rambo series, even lower than the one released 25-plus years, and several inflationary cycles, ago.
- In limited release, U2's 3D concert movie ($467,535 Friday-Monday; $3.7 million overall) was the star of the weekend, even as Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert (ninth place, $3.3 million Friday-Sunday, $4.4 million Friday-Monday; $59.5 million overall) continued to hog the special screens.
- The latest entry in George A. Romero's zombie canon, Diary of the Dead, did so-so on 42 screens, taking in $232,576 Friday-Sunday ($275,061 Friday-Monday).
Here's a recap of the top-grossing weekend films based on Friday-Monday (and Friday- Sunday) tallies compiled by Exhibitor Relations:
1. Jumper, $32.1 million ($27.4 million)
2. The Spiderwick Chronicles, $24.7 million ($19 million)
3. Step Up 2: The Streets, $22.1 million ($18.9 million)
4. Fool's Gold, $14.9 million ($12.9 million)
5. Definitely, Maybe, $11.4 million ($9.8 million)
6. Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins, $9.9 million ($8.5 million)
7. Juno, $5.6 million ($4.6 million)
8. The Bucket List, $4.7 million ($4 million)
9. Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert, $4.4 million ($3.3 million)
10. 27 Dresses, $3.9 million ($3.2 million)
(Originally published Feb. 18, 2008 at 3:10 p.m. PT.)