Sony's first CGI animated feature, Open Season, which is based on an original story by In the Bleachers cartoonist Steve Moore and John Carls, earned an estimated $23 million to top the weekend box office. In spite of a weakening of the once invincible computer-animated features category caused by a proliferation of CGI releases, Open Season easily topped The Guardian, which took second with an estimated $17.7 million.
Open Season attracted a family audience -- 77% of the crowd was parents with children, and females made up 56% of the audience. The film will have to demonstrate some great 'legs' to earn back its $85 million cost, but Open Season's strong debut did allow the weekend box office to top the corresponding weekend in 2005 for the first time in a month.
Last weekend's top two films, Jackass: Number 2 and Jet Li's Fearless, both dropped over 50%. The $60 million Flyboys fared even worse, dropping 61%, which spells problems for MGM.
The Covenant, which is based on an Image graphic novel, dropped out of the top ten, landing at #13 in its fourth week of release. The Covenant, which cost an estimated $20 million to make, looks like it will finish just north of $25 million at the domestic box office.
Hollywoodland, the film based on the mysterious death of TV Superman George Reeves, which is also in its fourth frame, slipped to #18 and will probably end up with a cumulative total of about $15 million.