Audiences dig 'Treasure' sequel

Nicolas Cage film nets $16.6 million Friday

By ANTHONY D'ALESSANDRO

In a crowded pre-Christmas frame, Disney's "National Treasure: Book of Secrets" uncovered $16.6 million in box office gold on Friday at 3,832 theaters. The sequel's first day haul marked opening day highs for both headliner Nicolas Cage and helmer Jon Turteltaub, whose previous respective records were for last February's "Ghost Rider" ($15.4 million) and 2004's "National Treasure" ($11.1 million).  

"Secrets" looks to maintain its lead throughout the weekend with its final three-day take clocking in higher than "Rider's" $45.4 million. "National Treasure" bowed to $35.1 million in November 2004.  

Overall, the top 10 films unwrapped a healthy $50 million at the Friday box office, up 28% over the same day a year ago.  

While the second Friday for Warner Bros.' "I Am Legend" slowed down 64% from its opening day, the Will Smith starrer collected $10.9 million from 3,620 sites for second place, raising its eight-day total to $114.2 million.  

Fox's "Alvin and the Chipmunks" managed to store $8.4 million in third from 3,499 trees, down 37%, for a total cume of $64.3 million.  

The theater count for DreamWorks-Paramount/Warner Bros.' horror musical "Sweeney Todd" might have been smaller than other frosh wide openers yesterday, but that didn't hinder the Tim Burton pic from clipping $3.8 million from 1,249 locales for fourth place.  

Following "Todd" was Universal's Tom Hanks-Julia Roberts topliner "Charlie Wilson's War" which grossed $2.8 million from 2,575 theaters for fifth.  

In sixth, Warner Bros.' Hilary Swank-Gerard Butler vehicle "P.S. I Love" romanced $2.4 million from holiday moviegoers in 2,454.  

Sony's music biopic satire "Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story" generated few guffaws in seventh place, collecting $1.5 million from 2,650 concert halls.   Disney's Thanksgiving opener "Enchanted" followed in eighth with $1.3 million from 2,752, down 23%, and a total cume of $95.5 million.  

New Line's "The Golden Compass," which has translated more to overseas auds since its release three weeks ago (foreign B.O. $100 million) than stateside crowds, dropped 54% from last Friday to ninth with $1.2 million off 2,953 and a domestic take of $45.6 million.  

Among arthouse fare yesterday, previous week holdovers proved to the be the most resilient against Friday's wide releases. Fox Searchlight's "Juno" accumulated $1 million in tenth place from 304 theaters, up a boffo 153%, for a running cume of $4 million. Pic's theater average of $3,390 was the second best on Friday behind the $4,325 average posted by "Secrets."  

Yesterday's B.O. for Focus Features' "Atonement" remained even with its daily haul from a week ago, posting $523,000 from 297 theaters. The Golden Globe nominated drama's cume currently stands at $4.3 million.  

The second Friday for Par Classics' "The Kite Runner" surged 127% with a daily take of $320,000 thanks to its theater expansion from 35 to 377 locales.