Box Office Bombings: Box Office Breakdown 1/8/07

AE Note: This is a new weekly feature, written by Gonch, that will analyze the weekend box office. In addition to give you, the reader, the hard numbers, Mr. Gonch will also give a short opinion on the movie or anything related to the movie. So sit back and enjoy.

Here's the weekend box office, released today, Monday 1/8/07

1. Night At The Museum
Last Week Rank: 1st
Weekend Gross: $24 million
Total Gross: $164,097,000
Weeks Out: 3
Musings: Well I've already reviewed this film and didn't much care for it. But as I said, family viewership wins out around the holidays and the many kids still on their break from school. It's sad I'm really hoping something can knock this out soon, so that we dare not incur ourselves a terrible sequel.

2. Pursuit Of Happyness
Last Week Rank: 2nd
Weekend Gross: $13 million
Total Gross: $124,159,000
Weeks Out: 4
Musings: Will Smith continues to try to slowly get away from his action and comedic side with this heart warming tale of the man who has little but his son while trying to make something of himself. Smith seems to be doing a good job with this but the story itself is not a big draw.

3. Children Of Men
Last Week Rank: 22nd
Weekend Gross: $10,295,000
Total Gross: $11,902,000
Weeks Out: 2
Musings: Expanding from limited to wide release, this film climbed very far up the rankings and caught some attention with the public. A view of a dystopian future where man is dying out and offers up tons of violence and harsh acts on the screen, probably not my cup of tea but at least its something different.

4. Freedom Writers
Last Week Rank: N/A
Weekend Gross: $9,705,000
Total Gross: $9,705,000
Weeks Out: 1
Musings: How terribly original. A white teacher comes into an urban/street school to teach these less fortunate African-American students that there's more to life than thuggin' and buggin'. If you're going to keep making this movie, at least have the decency to bring back Gangsta's Paradise and Catwoman (the good one).

5. Dreamgirls
Last Week Rank: 3rd
Weekend Gross: $8,825,000
Total Gross: $54,484,000
Weeks Out: 4
Musings: Doing well since this is a possible Oscar candidate, I'm guessing it only really has a shot at lesser awards like Best Song, but that's something at least. Doesn't interest me but doesn't look horrible either.

6. Happily N'ever After
Last Week Rank: N/A
Weekend Gross: $6.8 million
Total Gross: $6.8 million
Weeks Out: 1
Musings: Opening at 6th should be the first sign that this was a weak weekend for movies (and many more to come) and this one has no real staying power. If you haven't seen the preview, let's just say I've seen better CG animation in 5 seconds of a Futurama episode.

7. Charlotte's Web
Last Week Rank: 4th
Weekend Gross: $6,610,000
Total Gross: $66,975,000
Weeks Out: 4
Musings: Anyone remember this when it was called Babe and it was actually up for Best Picture? Yeah I don't know what the Academy was smoking either.

8. The Good Shepherd
Last Week Rank: 5th
Weekend Gross: $6,536,000
Total Gross: $48,434,000
Weeks Out: 3
Musings: Matt Damon goes for some more Oscar consideration but this is no Departed. Subject matter is intriguing enough but it doesn't have nearly the star power or the excitement behind it.

9. Rocky Balboa
Last Week Rank: 6th
Weekend Gross: $6,268,000
Total Gross: $60,892,000
Weeks Out: 3
Musings: Message to Sylvester Stallone. Ahem. STOP MAKING MOVIES. That is all.

10. We Are Marshall
Last Week Rank: 8th
Weekend Gross: $5,135,000
Total Gross: $35,425,000
Weeks Out: 3
Musings: Preparing to fall out of the top ten, an inspiring sports film (no, really?) but this one's true at least and different from most, in attempting to replace a team that was mostly killed. Matthew McConaughey continues to be too hard to spell, so I copied and pasted it, but kudos for including Dr. Jack if nothing else (the Better Shepherd).

-Gonch