'Fockers' Close 2010

Little Fockers, the latest entry in the Meet the Parents franchise, closed the year at the top of the box office, with an estimated $26.3 million over the New Year's weekend.  The film's total grosses so far stand at $103.2 million, measured against an estimated $100 million production budget.  It was down 14.7% week-over-week.

Riding strong word of mouth and great reviews, True Grit also held onto its box office spot over its second weekend, dropping a modest 1.4% to $24.5 million for a second place finish.  The film has grossed $86.8 million so far, against a $38 million budget.  This means the film will have no difficulty getting into the black over the course of its run.

Tron Legacy landed in the third place position, dropping 4.4% in its third weekend with $18.3 million.  The film has definitely connected with an audience, but with $130.8 million in grosses against a $170 million production budget, the film has a long way to go before becoming profitable.  Ancillary revenues like toys and games are undoubtedly helping the film's financial prospects, but we're not likely to see another sequel anytime in the near future.

Yogi Bear showed strong attendance thanks to family audiences who have already seen Tangled (which landed in sixth place) looking for something new to see on the last weekend of the holiday season.  The film increased it's week-over-week grosses by 66%, bringing in $13 million for a 4th place finish and $66.1 million to-date.  With an $80 million production budget, Yogi Bear will have to rely on home video to turn any significant profit.

Finally, fifth place was owned by The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, which brought in $10.5 million (a 10% increase over the prior weekend).  With $87.1 million so far, the $155 million-budgeted film isn't going to turn a profit domestically.  It has, however, brought in another $186 million internationally and continues to do well on the foreign market.  

This weekend marks the end of the 2010 holiday season, and there are still Monday grosses to tally, as most people have a long weekend, but overall, the year began with a bang (with Avatar still riding high), and ended with a whimper (with Little Fockers underwhelming the audiences and the box office).