‘Grinch’ Leads Record Holiday Box Office

Now we know what makes a Grinch green: greenbacks.

Showing amazing resilience in the face of stiff competition, “Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas” remained safely ensconced atop Mt. Crumpit . . . er, the weekend box-office charts, grossing $73.5 million over the five-day Thanksgiving holiday. The Ron Howard comic fantasy, starring Jim Carrey as the Grinch, saw its box-office take drop only 5% from its opening weekend.

“I knew this picture would be stupendous,” said Nikki Rocco, who heads distribution at Universal Pictures. “Did I think it would be as huge as this? In this business, you can never predict numbers like this.”

Meanwhile, fans of last year’s supernatural hit “The Sixth Sense” flocked to theaters to see “Unbreakable,” the new collaboration of Bruce Willis and director M. Night Shyamalan. The film grossed a hefty $46 million over the five-day holiday, contributing to a box-office record for the period.

“102 Dalmatians” proved no match for “Grinch” but still debuted with a healthy $26.2 million in ticket sales.

The controversial R-rated film “Quills” took in $324,456 in limited release.

Weekend Box Office

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Five-day gross/ Screens/ Weeks in Movie (Studio) Total (millions) Average Release 1. “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” $73.5 3,134 2 (Universal) $137.1 $23,460 2. “Unbreakable” $46.0 2,708 1 (Disney/Touchstone) $46.0 $16,991 3. “102 Dalmatians” $26.2 2,704 1 (Disney) $26.2 $9,703 4. “Rugrats in Paris” $22.5 2,937 2 (Paramount) $47.6 $7,667 5. “Charlie’s Angels” $13.5 2,838 4 (Sony/Columbia) $108.7 $4,761 6. “Bounce” $10.7 2,014 2 (Miramax) $24.2 $5,295 7. “The 6th Day” $10.0 2,516 2 (Sony/Columbia) $25.0 $3,977 8. “Men of Honor” $9.1 2,126 3 (Fox) $35.4 $4,282 9. “Meet the Parents” $8.8 2,159 8 (Universal) $148.4 $4,234 10.”Little Nicky” $6.3 2,776 3 (New Line) $33.8 $2,287 “Quills” $324,456 9 1 (Fox Searchlight) $324,456 $36,051

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SOURCE: Exhibitor Relations Co.