"Narnia" Usurps "King"

Tue., Jan. 3, 2006 3:45 PM PST by Bridget Byrne

The Chronicles of Narnia rang in the New Year by ringing out the big ape.

Taking in $33.7 million, the movie version of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was just too strong for King Kong, which barely managed to hold on to the top spot over the long Christmas holiday, but relinquished the crown for the four-day New Year's period, finishing in second with $31.8 million.

The latest edition of the flip-flop, neck-and-neck box-office battle saw Universal's PG-13 monkey-takes-Manhattan remake, now in its third week, grab the most money on Sunday. But for the full Friday-Monday holiday, Disney's PG-rated fantasy adventure, now in its fourth week and playing at a tad more screens, was the winner, although its $8,750 per-screen average was a whisker lower than its rival's $8,775.

Narnia' total domestic gross stands at $225.7 million, while Kong's is $175.6 million. Worldwide, Kong has reportedly reached the $400 million mark, while Narnia is at $382 million.

No new films opened wide, and business was up overall from the previous week for nearly all the top 10 movies. For example, Cheaper by the Dozen 2, now in its second week, was clearly attracting crowds who had taken no notice of its poor reviews. The PG-rated comedy, starring Steve Martin, Bonnie Hunt and teen faves Hilary Duff and Tom Welling, was reportedly pulling in the family audience that had already seen Narnia and Kong. Now at 3,211 sites, the Fox release gained nearly 60 percent, holding in fourth place with $19.3 million over the four days.

Remaining in the 10th slot for a second week was Steven Spielberg's controversial Munich. The revenge drama, which expands wide next weekend, averaged a solid $12,099 at just 532 sites for a four-day haul of $6.4 million and has grossed $15.9 million.

There were some newcomers in limited release, led by Woody Allen's favorably reviewed thriller Match Point. The R-rated DreamWorks film, starring Scarlett Johansson and Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, averaged a whopping $66,179 per screen, earning $529,000 over the four-day weekend to bring its gross to $731,000 since opening Wednesday.

The Matador, an odd-couple, oddball comedy starring ex-007 Pierce Brosnan as an inept hit man and Greg Kinnear as an emotionally fragile business man, opened Friday at just four sites, where it averaged a snappy $23,078 for $92,000 over the four-day weekend.

Heath Ledger's two contrasting movies, Brokeback Mountain and Casanova, both chalked up huge gains. The award-winning gay cowboy romance expanded in its fourth week to 269 sites and was up 154 percent, averaging $18,020 for a four-day total $4.8 million. Meanwhile, the notorious lothario's romance saw its business up 362 percent in its second week, averaging $14,910 at 37 sites for $552,000.

Overall, the top 12 movies grossed $131 million from Friday to Sunday, up 30 percent from last weekend and 6 percent higher than this time last year, when Meet the Fockers topped the chart. For the four-day period, the combined box-office tally was $170 million.

Here's a rundown of the top-grossing films over the four-day (and three-day) weekend, based on final studio figures compiled by Exhibitor Relations:

1. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, $33.7 million ($25.7 million)
2. King Kong, $31.8 million ($24.8 million)
3. Fun with Dick and Jane, $21 million ($16.5 million)
4. Cheaper by the Dozen 2, $18.9 million ($14.5 million)
5. Rumor Has It ..., $11.8 million ($9.4 million)
6. The Family Stone, $10.3 million ($8.1 million)
7. Memoirs of a Geisha, $10.2 million ($7.7 million)
8. The Ringer, $8.1 million ($6.2 million)
9. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, $7.6 million ($5.7 million)
10. Munich, $6.4 million ($4.8 million)