HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, the third chapter in The Chronicles of Narnia saga, sailed to the top of the weekend box office with ticket sales of $24.5 million, according to studio estimates released Sunday.
The victory was bittersweet, however, as the film’s debut marked a steep decline for the franchise based on C.S. Lewis’ series of fantasy novels. The first film in the series, 2005’s The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, opened at $65.6 million, while 2008’s Prince Caspian premiered at $55 million.
Another box office disappointment was the No. 2 movie over the weekend, The Tourist. The film pairing Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie for the first time opened with ticket sales of just $17 million.
Last week’s No. 1 film, Disney’s animated musical Tangled, slipped to third place at $14.5 million.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 ($8.5 million) and Unstoppable ($3.8 million) finished fourth and fifth, respectively, to round out the weekend top five.
Weekend Box Office: December 10-12, 2010:
1. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, $24.5 million.
2. The Tourist, $17 million.
3. Tangled, $14.6 million.
4. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, $8.5 million.
5. Unstoppable, $3.8 million.
6. Black Swan, $3.3 million.
7. Burlesque, $3.2 million.
8. Love & Other Drugs, $3 million.
9. Due Date, $2.5 million.
10. Megamind, $2.5 million.
