Compass Leads at Top Spot, Yet Falls Short

Small films fare well as New Line admits dismay over megapic
By Wesley Oliver,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 9, 2007 7:56 PM CST
Compass Leads at Top Spot, Yet Falls Short
Keira Knightley, left, and James McAvoy star in a scene from "Atonement." (AP Photo/Focus Features, Alex Bailey)   (Associated Press)

The Golden Compass took top spot at the weekend box office but fell short of its expected $30-40 million tally, Variety reports. The flick grossed $26.1 million, chump change for a film costing $180 million—and New Line execs didn't hide their disappointment as they touted its sales abroad. Moviegoing slumped 19% overall compared to this weekend last year.

Modest films fared better: Searchlight’s Juno earned $420,113 on just seven screens and Atonement made good on 32 theaters, banking $816,883. Enchanted continued to charm, raking in another $10 million and topping the $80 million mark. This Christmas, Fred Claus, and Beowulf rounded out the top five. (More The Golden Compass stories.)

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