For the second week in a row, the fantasy film HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERERS STONE, with visual effects by Sony Pictures Imageworks and Rhythm & Hues, took the top spot at the box office. The U.S. Thanksgiving holiday weekend helped boost the films three-day total to $57.5M for a ten-day take of $187M. Setting more records this week, HARRY POTTER has surpassed 1999's TOY STORY 2 to become the largest-grossing movie ever over the Thanksgiving holiday. The film also matched the record set by STAR WARS: EPISODE ONE by reaching the $100M mark in just 5 days. HARRY POTTER will likely reach the $200M mark before the end of November. Another film poised to reach the $200M mark soon is MONSTERS, INC., which added 188 new theaters this week, boosting its weekend take by 8% over last week. The G-rated comedy earned $24.1M for second place, raising its four-week total to $192.2M. Debuting Wednesday, the action thriller SPY GAME, with visual effects by Cinesite and others, nabbed the number three spot, earning $21.7M over the weekend and a total of $30.6M since its debut. Romantic comedy SHALLOW HAL, with visual effects by Alterian Studios and Artist's Asylum Inc., has grossed $55M to date, with a weekend take of $8.5M for fifth place. Grossing $4.5M over the weekend, the snowboarding teen romp OUT COLD, with visual effects by Gajdecki Visual Effects (GVFX), landed in sixth place, earning just $6.7M since its Wednesday debut. In ninth place was the dramatic weeper LIFE AS A HOUSE, with visual effects by Sassoon Film Design, which grossed $2.1M in its third week in wide release bringing its five week total to $12.2M. Futuristic action flick THE ONE, with visual effects by Digital Filmworks, ComputerCafe and Tippett Studio, rounded out the top ten, adding $2.1M for a cume of $42M.
Want to read more about Disney/Pixar's wildly successful film MONSTERS, INC? Karl Cohen meets the key players behind Pixar's latest film and describes why there is that certain Pixar magic.
