1. MARLEY & ME FOX 3,480 9,985,000 2,869 -31% 82,500,250
2. BEDTIME STORIES DISNEY 3,681 8,395,000 2,281 -19% 65,100,000
3. CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON, THE PARAMOUNT 2,988 7,995,000 2,676 -33% 60,702,996
4. VALKYRIE MGM 2,711 5,715,000 2,108 -33% 46,531,000
5. YES MAN WARNER BROS. 3,434 5,595,000 1,629 -6% 65,617,577
6. SEVEN POUNDS SONY 2,758 4,145,000 1,503 -13% 50,078,000
7. TALE OF DESPEREAUX, THE UNIVERSAL 3,104 2,740,000 883 37% 36,799,120
8. DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL, THE FOX 2,402 2,165,000 901 -22% 69,464,426
9. DOUBT MIRAMAX 1,267 1,930,000 1,523 33% 13,752,000
10. SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE FOX SEARCHLIGHT 614 1,810,000 2,948 35% 24,009,000
11. TWILIGHT SUMMIT 1,849 1,640,000 887 66% 172,040,000
12. SPIRIT, THE LIONSGATE 2,509 1,450,000 578 -63% 10,850,000

Yowza!

Is that good for Button?

The Top 12 adds up to $53.565 million, compared to last year's $44.456 million.

Nice opening note for 2009!

Yes Man dropped 6% from last week...

WEE!!!

Yeah, an 80%+ increase from New Year's Eve is incredibly good, especially after the decreases this past week. The weekend should be around $20 million, a decent 25% drop.

Wonderful numbers!

I'm thinking $18-19m with a 10% decline on Friday and 2.6 IM.

I love them increases!

I don't understand why everyone is loving these numbers. They are nothing more than average. We should have at least one $15+ million movie-per-day right now but we don't.

Instead we have 3 $8 mil movies per day.

Stop being such a downer. Who the hell cares if we don't have a $250 mil winter film. We're gonna have a bunch of high $100 mil grossers.

Good start to 2009...it sure needs it.

Spirit is down 63% from last week, wowza

Last year, we had only one film make over $7m on New Years Day (National Treasure). This year, we have three. How is this "average"?

Seriously, a movie making $15+ million per day at this point each year is nonsense. That'd mean we'd be having a $300+ million flick each December.

These are some truly wonderful numbers. I think what is amazing is that Marley & Me increased by over 40% apparently after barely decreasing

Also, Doubt's run is very very god. It actually increased on New Year's Eve and yet managed a 50+% increase on January 1st. I expect it to decrease by less than 10% this upcoming weekend! I think it's pretty certainly passing $40 million at this point.


Bedtime Stories is also holding up well and showing even less frontloading signs than Marley & Me and Benjamin Button. I wonder whether it can manage a sub-20% decrease this weekend. Certainly looks possible. It's a lock for $150 million now.


Pretty embarrassing for The Spirit, but ah well. It looked pretty terrible too.


The Day the Earth Stood Still was really rescued by the holidays. Otherwise it probably wouldn't have made it past $70 million, whereas now it is looking at $80+ million.

Some additional numbers from Variety:

1. Marley And Me 20th Century Fox Comedy $10,000,000 45 $82,460,250 7
2. Bedtime Stories Disney Comedy $8,340,000 47 $65,034,534 7
3. Curious Case Of Benjamin Button, The Paramount Drama $7,926,000 84 $60,616,996 7
4. Valkyrie MGM Suspense $5,750,000 65 $46,649,979 7
5. Yes Man Warner Bros. Comedy $5,570,000 106 $65,552,577 14
6. Seven Pounds Sony Drama $4,125,000 85 $50,037,647 14
7. Day The Earth Stood Still, The 20th Century Fox Drama $2,150,000 91 $69,449,426 21
8. Doubt Miramax Drama $1,891,000 55 $13,699,600 21
9. Slumdog Millionaire Fox Searchlight Comedy $1,775,000 94 $24,008,672 49
10. Spirit, The Lionsgate Action $1,416,434 153 $14,483,840 7
11. Bolt Disney Animation $1,248,000 46 $106,626,656 42
12. Four Christmases Warner Bros. Comedy $1,245,000 43 $115,383,992 35
13. Gran Torino Warner Bros. Drama $1,000,000 71 $6,878,440 21
14. Milk Focus Features Biography $675,159 119 $15,269,484 35
15. Quantum Of Solace Sony Action $430,000 34 $165,697,659 49
16. Australia 20th Century Fox Adventure $400,000 11 $45,543,517 35
17. Madagascar Escape 2 Africa Paramount Action $344,000 45 $176,014,314 56
18. Wrestler, The Fox Searchlight Action $154,850 136 $1,324,228 14
19. Cadillac Records Sony Drama $85,000 136 $7,928,287 28
20. Revolutionary Road Paramount Vantage Drama $76,000 117 $389,182 7
21. Eagle Eye Dreamworks/Paramount Drama $56,000 167 $101,253,114 98
22. Defiance Paramount Vantage Drama $52,000 108 $77,000 0
23. Transporter 3 Lionsgate Action $39,431 180 $31,715,062 35

http://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=bodaily

All the Oscar contenders did well, jumping almost 100% for each.

Milk had the biggest jump!

Its great box office. Much more interesting than say 2003 or 2004 with one bg blockbuster and then small change.

Gran Torino pulling in $1 million in one day from 84 theatres is simply TERRIFIC. More impressive than anything else on the charts. I'm starting to wonder whether this can make $15+ million the weekend it goes wide...


But where's Twilight on Variety's list?


Australia looks like it might just struggle to $50 million afterall.

This is the best New Year's Day box office since 2005. It's good.