Fockers’ fuels US Christmas box office

LOS ANGELES - Just in time for the annual rite of difficult family moments, the comedy sequel "Meet the Fockers" topped the Christmas weekend box office in North America with a record-breaking debut, according to studio estimates.

The film, which stars Robert De Niro as the paranoid prospective father-in-law to the nerdy son (Ben Stiller) of aging hippies (Barbra Streisand, Dustin Hoffman), sold $44.7 million (NZ$62.2m) in the three days beginning Friday.

Since opening on Wednesday, the film has earned $68.5 million. It was released in North America by Universal Pictures, a unit of General Electric Co. -controlled NBC Universal, which partnered on the $80 million-budgeted project with closely held DreamWorks SKG.

Its 2000 predecessor, "Meet the Parents," opened at No. 1 with $28.6 million on its way to $166 million. Both films were directed by Jay Roach of "Austin Powers" fame.

The previous record for a Christmas holiday opener was set by director Steven Spielberg's "Catch Me If You Can" with $30 million in 2002.

"Fockers" is a "warm and entertaining comedy about the awkwardness of families coming together," said Marc Shmuger, vice chairman of Universal Pictures.

Although some critics complained about its coarseness, Shmuger said exit polling revealed negligible concerns among moviegoers.

The top 10 contained five other new entries, three of them new releases - "Fat Albert," "Darkness" and "Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera." The other two - "The Aviator" and "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou" - expanded nationally after previously opening in limited release.

'FAT ALBERT' A RELUCTANT NO. 2

"Fat Albert," a comedy based on Bill Cosby's TV cartoon series of the 1970s, opened at No. 2 with an estimated two-day haul of $12.7 million since opening on Dec. 25. It was followed by last weekend's champion, "Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events," with a three-day sum of $12.5 million.

Each estimate is based on what the studio behind each film reports. But the studios also track their rivals' films. This weekend, in a twist on the usual practice of studios trying to outrank each other, "Fat Albert" distributor Twentieth Century Fox estimated its film was actually $1 million behind "Lemony Snicket."

We're not trying to steal second place," said Bruce Snyder, president of domestic distribution at the News Corp. -owned studio. His data was based on more bullish Sunday business. Final numbers will be released on Monday.

"Lemony Snicket," released by Viacom Inc.'s Paramount Pictures, has earned US$59.3 million after 10 days.

Martin Scorsese's Howard Hughes biopic "The Aviator," starring Leonardo DiCaprio as the eccentric billionaire, jumped 10 places to No. 4 with US$9.4 million after expanding nationally on Dec. 25. Its 10-day total rose to US$10.8 million. The Miramax Films release was budgeted at just under US$110 million.

The George Clooney crime caper "Ocean's Twelve" fell three places to No. 5 with US$8.7 million, taking the three-week total for the Warner Bros. film to US$86.9 million -- about US$15 million behind what its 2001 predecessor "Ocean's 11" had made at the same time.

"Darkness," a thriller starring Anna Paquin, opened at No. 6 with US$6.4 million for the two days, playing well to teens looking for some holiday thrills. The film was acquired from its producers for US$4 million by Miramax's Dimension Films arm.

"The Polar Express" (Warner Bros.) fell three places to No. 7 with US$6.3 million, taking its total to US$140 million after seven weekends. The Adam Sandler comedy "Spanglish" (Columbia) tumbled five places to No. 8 with US$5 million, and a 10-day haul of US$18.5 million.

After two weekends playing in just New York and Los Angeles, director Wes Anderson's offbeat comedy "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou" jumped 22 places to No. 9 with US$4.9 million from its first two days in national release.

The Touchstone Pictures release, whose ensemble cast includes Bill Murray and Owen Wilson, has earned US$5.3 million to date.

"Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera" opened at No. 10 with a three-day sum of US$4.2 million from just 622 theaters, and US$6.5 million since its Wednesday bow. Director Joel Schumacher's long-in-the-works adaptation of Lloyd Webber's musical cost about US$70 million.

- REUTERS