National Treasure Book of Secrets

All of the new DVD releases hit stores (and Netflix) on Tuesdays. So each week in What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday, I sort through the best of the batch and tell you what to add to your queue. Pickings were a bit slim, I have to say. But hey, it's nice outside. We should all get some fresh air anyway this week, right?

National Treasure: Book of Secrets
Just as the big action-adventure blockbusters roll into theaters this summer, here's a blast from the past (er, a blast from last December). National Treasure: Book of Secrets is available for home viewing, just in case you want more of that genre right now. This is the second in the successful Disney franchise about a group of adventure seekers looking for treasure via American history. In this installment, Nicholas Cage stars as Benjamin Franklin Gates and goes on the hunt with his pals for the truth behind the assassination of President Lincoln by John Wilkes Booth.

It's a wee bit hokey and a lot goofy, but at the end of the day, a lot of moviegoers really like these flicks. Plus, it is nothing if not a family-friendly PG-rated action-adventure that kids will get a kick out of. Special features include cast bloopers and outtakes and featurettes titled "The Book of Secrets: On Location," and "Street Stunts: Creating the London Chase." One featurette struck me as particularly funny: "Inside the Library of Congress" (woo-hoo!).

One more kid-friendly title so read more

By an incredibly small margin (in Hollywood terms, anyway), The Bucket List was No. 1 at the box office over the weekend, just barely beating out First Sunday for the top slot. According to Variety, this is the biggest opening yet for director Rob Reiner. Also, 70% of ticket buyers were over 35 years of age.

Coming in at No. 3 was Juno moving down just one place after actually coming in at No. 2 last weekend. National Treasure: Book of Secrets fell to No. 4 with Alvin and the Chipmunks rounding out the top five.

This upcoming holiday weekend we'll see the girlish romcom 27 Dresses go up against J.J. Abrams' Cloverfield and the bank heist comedy Mad Money.

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros.

• After leaving Cedars-Sinai on Saturday, Britney Spears went to Palms Springs and then popped up in Santa Barbara with Adnan Ghalib, grabbing Starbucks in the afternoon before spending the evening at a bungalow, where they were spotted sharing a lollipop while Britney smoked with no pants on. It's only a matter of time before his story gets sold and we are reading about the details of their trips. — Celeb TV
• National Treasure: Book of Secrets took the top spot at the box office for the third week in a row, followed by I Am Legend and Juno. It's nice to have a little indie movie up there with the big blockbusters! — BuzzSugar
• Jack Black and his wife Tanya Haden, who have a 19-month-old son named Samuel, are expecting their second child. With a new movie and a baby on the way, looks like Mr. Black has a lot of his plate right now. — E Online
• British newcomer Gemma Atherton has been cast as the Bond girl in the upcoming James Bond film, currently filming in London. It's surprising we didn't get rumors for months about speculation on who the next girl would be. — Reuters
• On Thursday, Jay Leno and Jimmy Kimmel will appear on each other's late-night shows, temporarily solving the problem of booking guests despite the writers' strike. While they might not be the most interesting interviews, it's better than nothing. — AP

For the third weekend in a row, National Treasure: Book of Secrets led the way at the box office, bringing in a respectable $20.2 million. This is nice and all, but the real success story this weekend is that of Juno, the little indie movie that has consistently jumped higher and higher in the box office ranks over its five-week run at the theaters.

More often than not movies experience a decline at the box office after the initial buzz dies down, but not little Juno. Granted, it opened in more theaters this weekend, but the numbers for this movie are still wildly impressive — particularly for an independent film. According to Variety, the movie will most likely become Fox Searchlight's most lucrative project, as it's gunning to outpace both Sideways and Little Miss Sunshine.

I Am Legend just barely pushed its way to second place with $16.4 million, just over Juno's $16.2 million. Alvin and the Chipmunks refused to budge from the top five, landing at No. 4. Rounding out the top five was newbie horror flick One Missed Call.

Photo courtesy of Walt Disney Pictures

• Eddie Murphy married Tracey Edmonds yesterday in Bora Bora. It's the second marriage for both, and while he also has a new baby with Mel B, it sounds like he's ready to start a new life with Tracey. — People
• Late-night talk shows are coming back tonight! Leno, Letterman, Kimmel, O'Brien, and Ferguson will host new episodes this evening. Which will you be watching? — BuzzSugar
• Kim Kardashian spent her NYE ringing in the new year with some new bling. She became engaged to her NFL star boyfriend, Reggie Bush. Kim was one of many to get engaged this holiday season. We wonder if the proposal will end up on her E! show. — OK! Magazine
• National Treasure: Book of Secrets took the top spot at the box office for the second weekend in a row, followed by Alvin and the Chipmunks and I Am Legend. Hollywood certainly ended the year with some blockbuster bangs! — BuzzSugar
• Paul McCartney apparently underwent heart surgery to unblock his arteries this Fall but was back on his feet and ready to perform alongside Kylie Minogue on BBC's New Year's special. We're glad to hear he's feeling better now! — Daily Mail

Splash News Online

For the second lucrative weekend in a row, the National Treasure sequel Book of Secrets has taken the box office crown, raking in $35.6 million. Edging out I Am Legend for second place was Alvin and the Chipmunks, which brought in $29 million. Legend's $27 million brought it to No. 3 with Charlie Wilson's War taking in way less ($11 million) but still grabbing fourth place.

Happily, the little indie movie that could, Juno, made the list of top five movies at the box office over this final weekend of 2007! Variety points out that Juno, which took in $10 million its fourth weekend in theaters, "was up a whopping 201% from the previous weekend," and both weekends the movie played in 998 theaters. That is an awesome success, homeskillet.

Photo courtesy of Walt Disney Pictures

National Treasure: Book of Secrets, the sequel to Nicolas Cage's 2004 hit, scored big at the box office over the long holiday weekend, bringing in an estimated $65 million in the five-day period between Friday and Tuesday.

I Am Legend finished second, pulling in an estimated $47.5 million over the five days. Fox wouldn't estimate how much money Alvin and the Chipmunks made over the long weekend, but as of Sunday it had brought in $29 million and was in third place behind National Treasure and Legend.

Two Golden Globe nominees, Charlie Wilson's War and Sweeney Todd, battled for fourth and fifth place. Charlie Wilson brought in $14.8 million over five days, edging Sweeney Todd with $12.8 million.

Other notable numbers: P.S. I Love You finished sixth with $9.1 million. Meanwhile, Walk Hard failed to match the heights of Superbad or Knocked Up, bringing in just $5.8 million.

Next week's numbers should be interesting, as three relatively big movies — Alien Vs. Predator: Requiem, The Great Debaters, and The Water Horse — opened on Christmas Day.

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