Weekend Box Office: November 18 - 20

Courtesy of Box Office Mojo:

1.  The Twilight Saga:  Breaking Dawn Part 1 - $139.5 million

2.  Happy Feet Two - $22 million

3.  Immortals - $12.2 million

4.  Jack and Jill - $12 million

5.  Puss in Boots - $10.7 million

6.  Tower Heist - $7 million

7.  J. Edgar - $5.9 million

8.  A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas - $2.9 million

9.  In Time - $1.6 million

10.  The Descendants - $1.2 million

As if this weekend was going to turn out any other way.  The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1 was as big as expected this weekend, earning an estimated $139.5 million.  That is not, however, the highest opening of the franchise:  New Moon opened with $142 million in 2009.  Still, the movie is a huge hit any way you look at it, since it now stands as the fifth biggest opening weekend of all time.  For now. 

The only other big release dumb enough to open against Twilight this weekend was Happy Feet Two, and that didn't fare nearly as well, opening in second place with $22 million.  The original film made almost twice as much as that on its opening weekend in 2006 - an unlike the sequel, it didn't have the benefit of inflated sales from 3D screenings.  With a slew of family films set to open next week, the outlook doesn't look too good for Mumbles and crew. 

The Descendants, which is revving up some serious Oscar buzz for George Clooney (sorry Leo), opened in tenth place with $1.2 million in just 29 theaters nationwide.  The film should be opening wider in the next few weeks.

As far as holdovers, Immortals dropped an ugly 62% to earn $12.2 million, Adam Sandler's Jack and Jill continues to exist for some reason, landing in fourth place with another $12 million, and Puss in Boots lost a good part of it's audience to Happy Feet Two, earning $10.7 million.  That animated spinoff can keep smiling, though, since it has earned a decent $122 million domestically.

Next week brings a ton of family movies for the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, including the long-awaited return of The Muppets, the well-reviewed animated Arthur Christmas, and Martin Scorsese's 3D adventure Hugo.  Something for everyone, it looks like, although my money's on The Muppets coming out on top.