Don't Worry, Be Happy

Okay, I'll admit to being totally taken by surprise by the results of the latest box office bout. I thought for sure that the live action version of the children's classic Charlotte's Web would be number one. That it didn't even beat the dragon flick Eragon and had to settle for the third spot was amazing--considering all of those positive reviews...

Will Smith and real life son Jaden Smith, meanwhile, are probably all smiles over how well their dramedy The Pursuit of Happyness performed.

Brandon Gray of Box Ofice Mojo:

'The Pursuit of Happyness' captured an impressive estimated $27 million over the weekend, eclipsing the expected top draws, 'Eragon' [$23.5 million] and 'Charlotte's Web' [$12 million]...

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Ian Mohr of Variety writes:

Holiday auds were in the mood for father-and-son bonding as Sony's "The Pursuit of Happyness," with Will Smith starring opposite his son, warmed hearts and landed atop the domestic B.O. over the weekend with a $27 million bow.

Pic's per-engagement average was a robust $9,467 from 2,852 over a pre-holiday frame in which it can be tough for non-tentpole pics to woo auds away from holiday preparations. No. 1 bow was Smith's 10th, and pic also marked a solid English-lingo debut for Italo helmer Gabriele Muccino.

Last weekend's surprise No. 1, Mel Gibson's "Apocalypto," dropped nearly 50% in its second frame into sixth place.

Subtitled pic added $7.7 million to its coffers to bring its cume to $27.9 million. Pic is playing in almost 2,500 engagements and posted an average of $3,133 per.

Fox's PG-rated "Eragon" took the second spot on the charts, with $23.4 million off 3,020 for a per-screen average of $7,765. Pic, based on the fantasy-lit phenom, played somewhat better with young males, but also brought in a young female demo.

Frame's other wide opener, Paramount's G-rated reinvention of "Charlotte's Web" -- which mixed live-action with CG f/x -- landed in third with $12 million. Studio said it's hoping to mirror the release of "Stuart Little," which opened slowly in the same frame in 1999 with $15 million, but wound up with $140 million by April as families discovered it. Both "Stuart" and "Charlotte" are based on books by E.B. White...

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For his weekend wrap-up Entertainment Weekly's Joshua Rich said:

Will Smith's star power conquers the box office, while a mythical beast beats a little piggy for the No. 2 spot...