Tangled, Disney’s 3-D adaptation of Rapunzel, topped the box office for the first time in its second weekend of release with an estimated total of $21.5 million, a drop of 56% from its opening frame.  Meanwhile Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Pt.1 tumbled 66% in its third weekend and fell to second place with an estimated $16.7 million.  The Turkey Day holdovers didn’t get much help.  The only new entry, the ninja western The Warrior’s Way debuted at #9 with a miniscule $3.05 million.  Overall the post Thanksgiving weekend box office was down 14% from last year, while attendance at theaters was the lowest for this frame since 1997.

Tangled has earned $96.5 million in 12 days and should cross the $100 million barrier sometime this week and could bring its total well over $150 million in the coming weeks.  The fem-skewing 3-D animated feature is still getting 56% of its revenue from 3-D showings.

The latest Potter film has now brought in 244.2 million domestically and $469.1 million overseas for a total of $713.1 million.  It remains likely that Deathly Hallows, Pt.1 will end up in the $930 million range like the previous two Potter films, which would demonstrate amazing consistency for a seven-film (so far) series.

Tangled and Deathly Hallows were the only widely-released films to average over $2,500 per venue.  The runaway train epic Unstoppable starring Denzel Washington, dropped just 46% and actually moved up from #5 last weekend to #4 as it finished in a virtual dead heat with Burlesque as both films brought in an estimated $6.1 million.  They were followed closely by the Viagra comedy/drama Love and Other Drugs, which dropped just 41% and earned an estimated $5.7 million.

While there wasn’t much excitement at the box office this weekend, some movies are nearly milestones.  Paramount’s superhero-themed Megamind dropped 60%, but still added $5 million bringing its total to $136.5.  It should end up around $150 million.  Due Date, the raunchy Todd Phillips-directed comedy starring Robert Downey, Jr. dropped just 41% as it earned $4.2 million and brought its total to $91 million.  It will soon be the fifth $100+ million release in the past two-and-one-half years starring Downey, a testimony to his surging popularity.

The “R” rated martial arts Western, The Warrior’s Way, which stars Korean box office leader Jang Dong-gun, Kate Bosworth, and Geoffrey Rush, bombed as it debuted in ninth place earning just over $3 million.  The film, which cost $48 million to produce, attracted an older (65% over 25), male (65%) audience.  Moviegoers gave The Warrior's Way a dismal “C-“CinemaScore, which doesn’t say much for its prospects.  CinemaScore grades on a curve, so that’s a really bad mark, but the film has a chance to make its money back overseas, where it is expected to do well, especially in Korea. 

What excitement there was outside of the big two was generated by two Oscar-hopeful “art” movies from Fox Searchlight, 127 Hours, which expanded to 433 theaters and finished at #11, while Darren Aronofsky’s ballet drama Black Swan opened in just 18 theaters and generated sell-out type business (averaging $77,444 per venue) in its extremely limited release.  Aronofsky’s next directorial effort will be a new Wolverine movie (see “Aronofsky’s Wolverine”).