The U.S. Presidents Day three-day holiday weekend has proved profitable for new releases as well as some films that have been on the charts for weeks. In third place, Disneys 2D animated PETER PAN sequel enjoyed a solid $16.1M opening. RETURN TO NEVER LAND is set during World War II and finds Peter Pan on the trail of Captain Hook after the pirate kidnaps Wendy's daughter, Jane. The family-friendly film sent Disneys other kid flick SNOW DOGS running to tenth place, where it earned just $7M for a cume of $68.4M. Oscar nominee Denzel Washingtons new film JOHN Q, with effects by The Effects Group, nabbed the number one spot with a $24M debut. And speaking of Oscar nominees, last weeks announcements helped boost the box office of two films nominated for Best Picture. Biopic A BEAUTIFUL MIND, with visual effects by Digital Domain, upped its take 29% over last week, earning $9.7M for a total of $126M, while THE LORD OF THE RINGS, with primary visual effects by WETA, stayed in eleventh place but took in $6M over four days. Buoyed by 13 Oscar nominations, the box office for the Middle-Earth fantasy was up from last weekend's three-day tally of $3.6M. The film has earned $279M to date. War dramas did not fair well this weekend. Last weeks number one film COLLATERAL DAMAGE, with effects by Digital Filmworks, took the biggest fall, dropping all the way the fifth, earning $9.9M over four days for a two-week total of $29.4. The latest Bruce Willis film HARTS WAR, with visual effects by OCS/Freeze Frame/Pixel Magic, debuted in seventh place with a paltry $9M, and Ridley Scotts BLACK HAWK DOWN, with visual effects by Asylum and The Mill, was right behind it in eighth, with a three-day weekend take of $7.4M and a cume of $96.6M. Box office information obtained from yahoo.com and boxofficeguru.com.
