Monday Morning Box Office: Harry Potter Gets Dark
Just because this is only a three-day week doesn't mean you only get sixty percent of your usual joy in the box office results. In the spirit of the coming holiday, take your full bliss from the numbers:
1. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire—$101.4 million
Like most of America, we're suckers for a blockbuster, and so we lined up (at the Grove, if you must know; btw, what the hell were they filming there?) with all the other marketing-susceptible moviegoers this weekend. And we're happy to report that HPATGOF earned its much-ballyhooed PG-13 rating; as promised, this was the darkest Potter installment by far. The scenes depicting tragic overachiever Hermione's struggles with both an eating disorder and an addiction to over-the-counter speed pills were genuinely harrowing, and the unexpected subplot involving Harry and Ron Weasley's classic English schoolboy explorations were just as touching. We would never dream of printing a spoiler about that tender, poignant moment of awakening, but suffice it to say that come Oscar time, Jake and Heath won't be the only onscreen couple buzzed about.
2. Walk the Line—$22.4 million
Joaquin Phoenix's incredible transformation into the Man in Black was so complete that he unwittingly slipped back into character at a recent publicity junket, causing him to forget to storm off in disgust when asked how the passing of his brother affected his life and career.
3. Chicken Little—$14.8 million
Look, we all know where these Zach Braff/chicken jokes are going, but we're going to spare you a graphic description of poultry defilement this early in the morning. But if the movie makes the top five again, all bets are off.
4. Derailed—$6.5 million
5. Zathura—$5.1 million
In the new issue of In Touch, Jon Favreau reveals that he's finally moved on from his longtime relationship with Vince Vaughn. He says he's finding his directing career "really fulfilling," he "wishes Jen and Vince the best," and most touchingly, he's "ready again to dance like no one's watching."