The showdown of the two $20 million men ended with Rubberface outearning the Fresh Prince by a little more than $2 million. Jim Carrey’s Yes Man, co-starring Zooey Deschanel and directed by Peyton Reed (Down with Love, The Break-Up), took in $18.2 million in its debut weekend, while Will Smith’s Seven Pounds, co-starring Rosario Dawson, Woody Harrelson and Barry Pepper, finished its first weekend with $16 million. Coming in third, with $10.5 million in its first weekend, was The Tale of Despereaux, featuring the voices talents of Matthew Broderick, Dustin Hoffman, Emma Watson, Tracey Ullman, William H. Macy and Oscar hopefuls Frank Langella and Richard Jenkins.
Last week’s box office victor, The Day the Earth Stood Still, fell from the sky to fourth place with $10.2 million for its second week and Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon’s Four Christmases reached the $100 million mark with its $7.75 million performance.
This holiday week will see one of the most crowded Christmas marquees in recent memory, with December 25 releases coming for Bedtime Stories (starring Adam Sandler and Courtney Cox), Valkyrie (directed by Bryan Singer and starring Tom Cruise, Kenneth Branagh and Bill Nighy), The Spirit (directed by Frank Miller and starring Samuel L. Jackson, Paz Vega and Scarlett Johansson), Marley & Me (starring Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston) and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (directed by David Fincher and starring Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett and Tilda Swinton). So check back next and find out which movies benefitted from some Christmas magic and which ones got coal in next week’s Top of the Box Office report.