Weekend box office

Weekend box office

Sunday estimates for “Dr. Seuss’ The Cat in the Hat” proved a whisker optimistic ($40.1 million versus $38.3 million when more complete numbers became available Monday morning), so Thanksgiving weekend will be crucial for the colorful but poorly reviewed film, which despite widespread marketing tie-ins and cross-promotion on pending corporate sibling NBC grossed roughly 30% less than “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” in the comparable weekend in November 2000. Theaters are always mobbed with post-Turkey Day revelers, but a lot of kids and their parents will have to buy tickets for this estimated $109-million “Cat” (not including well more than a third that amount for marketing) to be considered a bona fide hit.

-- R. Kinsey Lowe

*--* MOVIE 3-DAY GROSS TOTAL (MILL.) VENUES AVGVENUE WEEKS

1 Dr. Seuss’ $38.3 $38.3 3,464 $11,065 1 The Cat in the Hat (Universal)

2 Gothika $19.3 $19.3 2,382 $8,098 1 (Warner Bros.)

3 Elf $18.7 $94.7 3,381 $5,536 3 (New Line)

4 Master and $15.2 $47.3 3,101 $4,906 2 Commander: The Far Side of the World (Fox)

5 Love Actually $8.6 $30.4 1,690 $5,115 3 (Universal)

6 The Matrix $7.0 $125.4 3,024 $2,325 3 Revolutions (Warner Bros.)

7 Brother Bear $5.3 $70.3 2,885 $1,853 5 (Buena Vista)

8 Looney Tunes: $4.2 $14.9 2,903 $1,452 2 Back in Action (Warner Bros.)

9 Scary Movie 3 $3.1 $106.4 2,359 $1,329 5 (Miramax/Dimens ion)

10 Radio $2.6 $47.1 1,925 $1,360 5 (Sony/Revolutio n)

*--*

Source: Nielsen