Box Office: Transporting Christmas to Australia

The vampire romance Twilight kicked serious butt with the fifth biggest November opening in history. Last week's other newbie, Bolt, took a somewhat disappointing third place with Quantam of Solace outselling the Disney feature by a mere half million. Here's the top five:

1. Twilight: $69.6 million
2. Quantum of Solace: $26.7 million
3. Bolt: $26.2 million
4. Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa: $15.6 million
5. Role Models: $7.3 million

This week, a historical drama, a holiday-themed comedy and an action sequel are vying for your Thanksgiving weekend box-office dollars.

Australia
What's It All About: Set in the months after Pearl Harbor, Nicole Kidman plays an aristocratic British cattle rancher with Hugh Jackman playing a cattle driver who helps drive her herd across hundreds of miles of Australian outback.
Why It Might Do Well: The cast is definitely a plus and Kidman and Jackman appear to have good chemistry.
Why It Might Not Do Well: 47% rotten at Rottentomatoes.com suggests a less than bright future for this one.
Number of Theaters: 2,600
Prediction: $17 million

Four Christmases
What's It All About: When a couple played by Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn find their vacation flight has been canceled, they are forced to visit all four of their divorced and remarried parents on Christmas Day.
Why It Might Do Well: The holiday season is almost here, so the Christmas angle may appeal to some.
Why It Might Not Do Well: The plot has a been-there-done-that feel, Vaughn appears to be playing the same character we've seen him do countless times before, and Rottentomatoes.com gives it 23%.
Number of Theaters: 3,200
Prediction: $26 million



Transporter 3
What's It All About: In this third installment of the action series, Frank Martin (Jason Statham) must deliver the kidnapped daughter of a Ukranian government official. Conflict and butt kicking ensue.
Why It Might Do Well: Transporter 2 took in $43 million domestically and $85 million worldwide.
Why It Might Not Do Well: Too many competitors. The movie may do OK, but I'm not expecting stellar numbers.
Number of Theaters: 2,500
Prediction: $14 million

Will Twilight be able to take the lead two weeks in a row? Even with the inevitable second week drop off, I think the vampire romance will reign at the box office once again this week. Here's my prediction:

1. Twilight
2. Four Christmases
3. Australia
4. Bolt
5. Quantum of Solace

Twelve was our collective lucky number, as that's what most of us scored. Most of us expected Bolt to outdo Bond, but it was not to be. Congrats to jolts and cough for turning in last week's only two perfect scores. Here's how everyone did:
1. jolts: 16
1. cough: 16
2. Matt: 12
2. jessejames: 12
2. Pat Campbell: 12
2. I Eat Robots: 12
2. Gregory Rubinstein: 12
2. AJ Wiley: 12
2. VP: 12
2. Alex Farquharson: 12
2. hitesh choudhary: 12
2. NP: 12
2. Max: 12
2. Linda: 12
2. Ray: 12
2. jdent: 12
2. greatone: 12
2. marie: 12
2. nate: 12
3. LostinFog: 10

Before you're too bloated and languishing in a tryptophan-induced haze, maybe you should give us your box office prediction. Post your predictions for the top five movies in the comments section below before 5:00PM Eastern Time on Friday. One point for every top five movie correctly named, two points for every correct placement, and one extra point for the top movie.