Saturday update:
Part three of Universal's "Meet the Parents" family-comedy franchise, "Little Fockers," continues to underperform on hit-level tracking pre-release projections, bringing in $5.1 million Friday, according to studio estimates.
The Ben Stiller/Robert DeNiro comedy -- predicted by its studio to bring in over $60 million over the five-day holiday accounting period -- now looks like it will open to under $50 million.
Budgeted at $100 million, the movie will still be plenty profitable for Universal and co-producers Paramount and Relativity, but it doesn't look like it will be as big as 2004's "Meet the Fockers."
In second place, Paramount's Coen Bros. Western remake "True Grit" is over-performing, brining in an estimated $4.8 million Friday. Conservatively projected to gross in the $20 million-plus range by its studio, the $38 million Jeff Bridges/Matt Damon movie now looks like it could take in as much as $40 million over the five-day holiday.
Fox's soft-tracking Jack Black comedy "Gulliver's Travels" is set to open on Saturday.
Here's a look at Friday's top 10:
"Little Fockers" ($5.1m)
"True Grit" ($4.8 m)
Tron" $4.0
"Narnia 3" ($2.2m)
"Yogi Bear" ($2.1m)
"Tangled" ($1.8m)
"The Fighter" ($1.3m)
"Black Swan" ($1.1m)
"The Tourist" (875k)
"Potter 7" (705k)
Friday update:
Universal comedy "Meet the Fockers" continued to endure an underwhelming opening at the domestic box office, grossing an estimated $7.1 million on Thursday.
Part three of the Robert DeNiro/Ben Stiller family-comedy franchise has grossed $14.3 million after three days -- a flop by no means, but off the pace from hit-level predictions of $60 million for the five-day holiday period.
Disney's "Tron Legacy" continues to hold strong in its first full week, grossing an estimated $5.6 million Thursday, while Paramount Coen Bros. Western "True Grit" tallied $5.5 million and has grossed an solid $11.2 million after two days.
Thursday update:
Universal's "Meet the Fockers" opened to an estimated $7.2 million Wednesday, putting the Ben Stiller/Robert DeNiro comedy off pace to meet studio projections of around $60 million.
Paramount Western "True Grit," meanwhile, had a strong start, grossing an estimated $5.5 million Wednesday.
Tuesday preview:
Universal will certainly be celebrating the birth of a child this Christmas.
Premiering Wednesday in 3,536 theaters in the U.S. and Canada, part three of the studio's 10-year-old "Meet the Parents" franchise -- which features Ben Stiller's oft-maligned Greg Focker moving on into fatherhood -- is set to lead the box office, grossing $60 million-$70 million over the five-day holiday weekend, according to pre-release tracking reports.
Paramount's Coen Brothers Western "True Grit" will also make its debut Wednesday, arriving in 3,047 North American theaters, and projected to gross more than $20 million over the five-day period.
Fox, meanwhile, will premiere the soft-tracking Jack Black comedy "Gulliver's Travels" at more than 2,400 domestic locales on Saturday, Christmas Day, with pre-release estimates projecting the $115 million film not to even crack the $10 million barrier through Sunday night.
