Breaking Dawn – Part 1 Breaks from the Pack

Breaking Dawn – Part 1, the latest movie in The Twilight Saga, came in at number one at the box office last weekend—quick show of hands, is anyone surprised? The film’s opening weekend gross of $139.5 million makes it one of only two movies so far this year to open to over $100 million (the other was Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2). Coming in second place was new release Happy Feet Two, which earned an unimpressive $22 million. Last week’s number one, Immortals (weekend gross $12.2 million, total gross $52.9 million), slipped to third place; rounding out the top five were Jack and Jill (weekend gross $12 million, total gross $41 million) and Puss in Boots (weekend gross $10.7 million, total gross $122.3 million).

Alexander Payne’s The Descendants opened in limited release last weekend, earning $1.2 million and a number ten spot at the box office on even though it was playing in fewer than 30 theaters. Also out in limited release were Eames: The Architect and the Painter ($22,905), Another Happy Day ($9,118), Tomboy ($8,953), Tyrannosaur ($7,642) and Garbo: The Spy ($4,448).

Those sick of arguing with relatives over Thanksgiving weekend can make a break for the movie theater to see Arthur Christmas, Hugo and The Muppets, all coming out in wide release this Wednesday. For those who’d prefer something more adult, limited releases include The Artist, A Dangerous Method and My Week with Marilyn. In addition, director Oren Moverman’s (The Messenger) Rampart begins its week-long Oscar-qualifying run in New York and Los Angeles on Wednesday; the movie is scheduled for a wider release in January.