Tale Chaser

For the second weekend in a row Enchanted cast a spell over moviegoers to stay in the top spot...

Amy Adams as Giselle is box office magic

Pamela McClintock of Variety:

Hayden Christensen-Jessica Alba thriller "Awake"--the weekend's only new wide release at the domestic box office--was no match for holdover family fare or digital 3-D.

Disney's princess yarn "Enchanted" easily came No. 1 for the second weekend in a row. Likewise, Sony's African-American family entry stayed No. 2 in its soph sesh. Proving the might of digital 3-D, Paramount-Shangri-La's "Beowulf" came in No. 3 in its third frame.

That put MGM's "Awake," from the Weinstein Co., at No. 4. Psychological drama grossed an estimated $6 million from 2,002 theaters, according to Rentrak. Pic's perf was in line with expectations.

New Line Cinema sneak peeked big-budget fantasy "Golden Compass" in 873 theaters Saturday. Studio reported that shows were 50% sold out.

Overall, traffic was light at theaters, as it generally is the first weekend after the busy Thanksgiving frame, when a decline of 50%, or even more, is considered a good hold. This year, family films and pics for young males are dominating the late November-early December release sked.

"Enchanted," toplining Amy Adams, Patrick Dempsey and James Marsden, grossed an estimated $17 million from 3,730 locations for a decline of 51% and a cume of $70.6 million in the film's first 12 days in release.

African-American holiday entry "This Christmas" grossed an estimated $8.4 million from 1,858 playdates for a decline of 53% and a cume of $36.9 million in the pic's first 12 days of release.

In its third frame, "Beowulf"--the biggest test yet of digital 3-D--grossed an estimated $7.9 million from 3,249 locations, a decline of 52%. Pic's cume is $68.6 million.

Young male fare also took the No. 5 spot as 20th Century Fox's bigscreen vidgame adaptation "Hitman" grossed an estimated $5.8 million from 2,468 theaters in its second frame for a decline of 56% and a cume of $30.2 million.

A pair of family movies from Warner Bros., "Fred Claus" and "August Rush" came in No. 6 and No. 7, respectively. "Claus" declined 47% to an estimated $5.5 million from 3,420 theaters in its fourth frame for a cume of $59.8 million.

In its second frame, "Rush" declined 45% to an estimated $5.1 million from 2,310 theaters for a cume of $20.3 million.

On the specialty side, Miramax's "No Country for Old Men" cracked the top 10 in its second weekend in wide release, grossing an estimated $4.5 million from 995 theaters for a strong per location average of $4,524. Film, directed by the Coen brothers, came in No. 8.

Paramount-DreamWorks Animation's "Bee Movie" took the No. 9 spot in its fifth frame, grossing an estimated $4.5 million from 3,150 theaters for a decline of 62% and a of $117.6 million.

Coming in No. 10 was Universal's Denzel Washington-Russell Crowe starrer "American Gangster." In its fifth frame, mob-cop drama declined 53% to $4.3 million from 2,699 runs for a cume of $121.7 million...

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Joshua Rich of EW:

At the box office, moviegoers snub ''Awake'' in favor of Thanksgiving leftovers...