The heroine of The Princess and the Frog puts her big dreams to music, singing, "I'm almost there." That's the position of Disney's 2-D animated feature, which opened wide Friday. It won this preholiday weekend, according to early studio estimates, but with a tepid $25 million, a bit less than forecast by industry analysts. Rather than reaching the stratosphere of Pixar 3-D cartoons, Princess replicated the openings of Disney's recent in-house animation efforts like Meet the Robinsons and Bolt. Execs at the Mouse House hope their new film will play well through the Christmas season. And Princess did register the highest debut for an animated feature opening in December. But that record could expire in less than two weeks: Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel invades theaters Dec. 23.
In a weekend when the top three films boasted African or African-American protagonists, two true-life sports inspirationals took the runner-up slots. The Blind Side, the story of a homeless black teenager who becomes a football star after being adopted by a white woman and her family, continued its run as the season's from-nowhere hit. Made for less than $30 million, the sturdy Sandra Bullock star vehicle took in $15.5 million, and after just 24 days has topped the $150 million mark in domestic receipts. Following a movie about football was one about rugby: Clint Eastwood's South African drama Invictus, with Morgan Freeman playing Nelson Mandela. It struggled into third place with $9.1 million, and a lower per-screen average in its first week than The Blind Side in its fourth.
Invictus was one of several new pictures whose year-end releases were keyed to wowing critics and influencing Academy voters. The Lovely Bones, in which director Peter Jackson returned to ordinary-size pictures after The Lord of the Rings and King Kong, opened in three theaters and amassed $116,000. Touted as an awards contender before anyone had seen it, The Lovely Bones has received reviews in the mixed-to-negative range — just a 40% approval score on the Rotten Tomato-meter poll of critics. (The totals for other December hopefuls: The Princess and the Frog, 83%; Invictus, 78%; A Single Man, 84%.) That leaves the important decisions of Lovely Bones' fate up to the Oscar voters — and the mass of moviegoers.
More modest aspirations attend the indie drama A Single Man, about a teacher grieving for his dead lover. Director Tom Ford and the Weinstein Company would be pleased with respectable grosses and an Oscar for its leading man, Colin Firth, who was named best actor at this year's Venice Film Festival. The $216,000 A Single Man earned at nine venues is a good start toward the first goal; but, at least in the early critics votes, Firth keeps getting edged out for Best Actor by another sensitive hunk: George Clooney.
Clooney has starred in three movies released in the past month. The first two, The Men Who Stare at Goats and Fantastic Mr. Fox, are already withering at the wickets. Up in the Air, though, is soaring. The Jason Reitman comedy-drama, with Clooney as a corporate hired gun and frequent flyer, has swept awards — best film, actor and screenplay — from the National Board of Review and the Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association. That plus a fruitful 91% rating from Rotten Tomatoes, top critics.
The picture is cashing in some coin too. Playing this weekend at 72 theaters, Up in the Air earned $2.5 million, or $34,000 per screen. It achieves full liftoff Christmas Day. That seems an excellent flight plan for two kinds of gold: at the box office and on Oscar night.
Here are the weekend's top-grossing pictures in North American theaters, as reported by Box Office Mojo.com:
1. The Princess and the Frog, $25 million; $29.9 million, third week
2. The Blind Side, $15.5 million; $150.2 million, fourth week
3. Invictus, $9.1 million, first weekend
4. The Twilight Saga: New Moon, $8 million; $267.4 million, fourth week
5. Disney's A Christmas Carol, $6.9 million; $124.5 million, sixth week
6. Brothers, $5 million; $17.4 million, second week
7. 2012, $4,400,000; $155.3 million, fifth week
8. Old Dogs, $4,396,000; $40 million, third week
9. Armored, $3.5 million; $11.8 million, second week
10. Ninja Assassin, $2.7 million; $34.3 million, third week