TOP 12: NATIONAL TREASURE defeats INCREDIBLES

By: Patrick Sauriol
Date: Monday, November 22, 2004

Audiences were enticed to come check out NATIONAL TREASURE this past weekend, to the tune of $35 million dollars and change. The Touchtone Pictures action-adventure starring Nicolas Cage had a very strong debut, the best ever for the actor and a good omen that the film will have some strength to cross the $100 M barrier in the busy upcoming holiday movie season.

Second place went to THE SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS MOVIE which also had a better-than-expected showing, netting $33.5 M and giving Nickelodeon its best-ever theatrical opening. Third spot went to last week's champ THE INCREDIBLES, still hanging in there and adding another $26 M to its tally. In fourth place was THE POLAR EXPRESS followed by the BRIDGET JONES sequel (which performed better this week thanks to a bigger screen count.)

Here are the estimated box office receipts of the top twelve films from November 19 through to November 21 with their weekend gross and the movie's total domestic gross to date. As always, the week's new films are signified in red.


BOX OFFICE FRIDAY NOVEMBER 19 to SUNDAY NOVEMBER 21, 2004:


1. NATIONAL TREASURE $35,298,000 $35,298,000
2. THE SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS MOVIE $33,500,000 $33,500,000
3. THE INCREDIBLES $26,790,000 $177,822,000
4. THE POLAR EXPRESS $15,215,000 $51,010,000
5. BRIDGET JONES: THE EDGE OF REASON $10,106,000 $21,573,000
6. AFTER THE SUNSET $5,275,000 $19,292,000
7. RAY $4,561,000 $59,188,000
8. THE GRUDGE $3,800,000 $104,411,000
9. SEED OF CHUCKY $3,136,000 $13,355,000
10. SAW $3,000,000 $50,473,000
11. SHALL WE DANCE? $2,310,000 $52,267,000
12. SIDEWAYS $1,810,000 $6,026,000


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