Two films with comic book ties topped the box office chart on what was by far the lowest grossing (for the top 12 films) weekend of 2006 so far.  The Covenant, which is based on an Image graphic novel (see 'The Covenant Gets a PG Rating'), took the top spot with an estimated total of $9 million and a per theater average of $3,356.  The PG-13 rated horror film did well with teen audiences, though it remains to be seen if the film will scare up sales of a sizable number of graphic novels.

 

Hollywoodland, which came in second with an estimated total of $6.08 million, actually had a higher per theater average of $3,881 than The Covenant.  Hollywoodland, which delves into the mystery surrounding the death of George Reeves the actor who played Superman in the1950's Adventures of Superman TV series, attracted an older audience.  Originally titled 'Truth, Justice and the American Way,' Hollywoodland was made without the cooperation of DC Comics and Warner Bros., who felt it was necessary to protect the image of the Man of Steel by forcing a title change and refusing to let the Hollywoodland filmmakers use any footage from the Superman TV series.

 

Last weekend's two top debut films, Crank and The Wicker Man, both dropped by well over 50% (54% and 57% respectively) and the entire weekend's total for the top 12 films fell 30.5% from the 3-day Labor Day weekend totals.  After a generally strong summer Hollywood's box office take appears to be slipping badly.