Over the Christmas weekend five new films debuted in more than limited release, but fantasy film holdovers King Kong and The Chronicles of Narnia topped the box office charts.  Kong, which grossed an estimated $31.4 million and averaged $8,789 per location, nosed out Narnia, which garnered $30.1 million and averaged $7,812 per theater.  Narnia, now in its third week of release versus two weeks for Kong, is clearly running ahead of expectations and showing signs that it is appealing to the vast religious audience that made The Passion of the Christ such a hit, while Kong has yet to live up to its monster rep.  It remains to be seen if Kong will have the kind of 'legs' necessary to catch Narnia, and whether either of them will best Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, which has earned over $262 million and added nearly $6 million to its total in its sixth week of release.

 

Jim Carrey demonstrated that his box office clout can overcome bad reviews as his Fun With Dick and Jane earned $23.5 million and finished third easily outdistancing its comedic competition (Cheaper by the Dozen 2--$14.7 million).  The horror film Wolf Creek debuted in the ninth spot just ahead of Harry Potter.