Patrick Kake (left) and Skandar Keynes in a scene from the movie 'The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe'. The movie topped this weekend's box office. - CONTRIBUTED PHOTOS
LOS ANGELES (AP):
ANOTHER FANTASY world has joined Hollywood's instant-blockbuster club.
Disney's The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe adapted from C.S. Lewis' tale of enchantment, epic battles and talking animals debuted as the weekend's top movie with US$67.1 million, according to studio estimates yesterday.
Expanding nationwide after two weekends in limited release, the Warner Brothers thriller Syriana, an oil-industry saga whose ensemble cast includes George Clooney and Matt Damon, ran second with US$12 million.
Warner's Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, the number one film the previous two weekends, slipped to third with US$10.3 million, raising its domestic total to US$244.1 million.
The Chronicles of Narnia kicked off what is likely to be a strong finish for Hollywood after a box-office slump that has lingered most of the year, leaving attendance down seven per cent compared to 2004.
The top 12 movies took in US$117.8 million, up 17 per cent from the same weekend last year.
Right behind The Chronicles of Narnia comes Peter Jackson's remake of King Kong, expected to open to huge audiences Wednesday.
"We've never needed two films like this more than we do now," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations. "It's the knockout punch that Hollywood needs."
The Chronicles of Narnia follows Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings films as the latest fantasy franchise making the leap from book to screen, courtesy of dazzling computer animation.
BOX OFFICE TOP 10
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, US$67.1m.
Syriana, US$12m.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, US$10.3m.
Walk the Line, US$5.75m.
Yours, Mine & Ours, US$5.15m.
Aeon Flux, US$4.6m.
Just Friends, US$3.9m.
Pride & Prejudice, US$2.5m.
Chicken Little, US$2.3m.
Rent, US$2m.
