Saturday update:
Disney's decision to jump ship on the "Chronicles of Narnia" franchise isn't looking too bad right now.
Releasing a third installment of the C.S. Lewis-adapted fantasy series, Fox watched the 3D release of "The Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader" get off a rough $8.2 million start Friday at the domestic box office, according to studio estimates.
That puts the $145 million film on pace to gross in the mid-$20 million range for the weekend, fully $20 million less than pre-release estimates.
Also getting off to a tough start, Sony's $100 million Angelina Jolie/Johnny Depp spy thriller "The Tourist" brought in an estimated $6.1 million Friday, making it a longshot to reach its soft $20 million pre-release tracking.
Tough starts all around … at least for big films.
Among specialty movies, the Relativity-produced/Paramount-distributed boxing biopic "The Fighter" got off to a rock-solid start at four locations, grossing an estimated $99,000 Friday. It's on pace to average well over $80,000 per engagement this weekend.
The film stars Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale, both of whom are getting serious awards looks.
Fox Searchlight Darren Aronofsky sexual thriller "Black Swan," meanwhile, grossed a strong $987,000 Friday, expanding from 18 to 90 theaters.
Here's how the top 10 finished Friday. Full report continues below chart:
Back to the bad news, it was widely expected that "The Tourist" would endure a soft opening, with box-office pundits noting the light buzz for the A-list-led thriller in the run-up to its release.
The big surprise was "Narnia 3." With Fox focusing the Michael Apted-directed film's marketing on Christian and family audiences, and downsizing the film's budget from the lofty $225 million Disney spent on the second installment, several tracking firms came into the weekend with pre-release estimates of over $40 million.
But the movie — which is predicted to play strongly in foreign markets — will be very fortunate to even get close to $30 million for the weekend.
Thursday preview:
Let the holiday box-office onslaught begin.
After a post-Thanksgiving lull dominated by limited arthouse releases, Christmas tentpoles begin flooding theaters this weekend, when Fox releases a third "Chronicles of Narnia" movie in 3D and Sony puts out an Angelina Jolie/Johnny Depp spy thriller.
Also making its limited debut: Paramount boxing biopic and Oscar contender "The Fighter."
The top spot will belong to "Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader," the third installment of the C.S. Lewis-adapted, spiritually-themed, youth-targeted film franchise kicked off by Disney back in 2005.
Produced by Walden Media for $145 million, "Narnia 3" is projected to bring in more than $40 million domestically this weekend — a good if not spectacular start for the PG-rated film, which Fox has squarly targeted toward churchgoing audiences.
Also read: Resurrecting 'Narnia': Can the Christians Save the Lion?
Premiering in more than 3,555 theaters in the U.S and Canada, the majority of them 3D-equipped, "Narnia" arrived on Fox's Century City film lot after an up-and-down run at Disney.
The first "Chronicles," titled "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe," grossed $745 million worldwide on a production spend of $180 million. But 2008 follow-up "Prince Caspian" didn't perform nearly as well, grossing $419.7 million on a pricey negative spend of $225 million.
After that, Disney abandoned the franchise.
That second film actually opened more solidly ($55 million) than part three is expected to. But with a lower production cost and more targeted marketing approach, Fox hopes to build buzz among family audiences that will carry through the holidays and make the film maybe not as profitable as part one, but certainly more lucrative than part two. Foreign distribution is expected to be robust, as well.
Reviews aren't great: aggregator Rotten Tomatoes scored the film in the 49 percent range as of late-afternoon Thursday.
Meanwhile, featuring Depp as just your average everyday American traveler trying to get over being jilted (yeah, that happens to him a lot), "The Tourist" will be released in 2,756 theaters and is expected to open in the $20 million range — which would be a soft start for a A-list-driven movie produced by Graham King at a cost of around $100 million.
Critics have been brutal to the PG-13-rated romantic thriller, with Rotten Tomatoes scoring it at 18 percent and Roger Ebert noting, "The plot is preposterous."
Limited debuts are highlighted by Paramount's "The Fighter," which is garnering Oscar supporting-actor attention for co-star Christian Bale. The film will start out in four theaters this weekend.
Also debuting in five theaters from Miramax: Julie Taymor romantic drama "The Tempest," starring Russell Brand.
Among expansions, Fox Searchlight's "Black Swan" will move into 90 locations, while Roadside Attractions' "I Love You, Phillip Morris" will spread out to 35.