LOS ANGELES, Dec 30, 2007 (AFP) - "National Treasure: Book of Secrets" was the top box office draw over the Christmas-into-New Year's holiday weekend, preliminary figures showed Sunday.
The adventure film starring Nicolas Cage as US "treasure protector" Benjamin Franklin Gates scooped up a healthy 35.6 million at movie houses across North America, box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations said.
The sequel to 2004's hit "National Treasure" was the second largest opening of Cage's career.
In second place was the Christmas-themed "Alvin and the Chipmunks," which took in a strong 30 million dollars in its third week since release.
Science fiction thriller "I Am Legend" starring Will Smith, pulled in 27.5 million dollars for third place, taking its three-week earnings to the blockbuster total of 194.6 million.
In fourth was "Charlie Wilson's War," the story of a US congressman's effort to recruit hardline Muslim fighters to defeat the Russians in 1980s Afghanistan. The film earned 11.7 million dollars in ticket sales.
Art film "Juno," an offbeat comedy about a pregnant teenager, catapulted to fifth place over the weekend on the strength of rave reviews, snagging 10.3 million dollars.
Following were "Aliens vs Predator: Requiem" which debuted in sixth place with 10 million dollars; "The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep," with a seventh place debut and "P.S. I Love You," starring two-time Oscar-winner Hillary Swank with 9.1 million dollars for eighth place.
Tim Burton's version of the macabre musical "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street," came in ninth with eight million dollars in receipts, while "Enchanted" continued to delight in its fourth week since release, earning 6.5 million dollars to round out the top 10.
Overall, ticket revenue during the all-important Christmas week outpaced last year's figures by some 17 percent.
sg/rlp
12/30/2007 20:48 GMT