After some very lacklustre times at the US box office, this weekend put 2007 back on track. Ridley Scott's American Gangster topped the charts with a stonking $46.3 million and Jerry Seinfeld's Bee Movie was buzzing at its heels with $39.1 million.
American Gangster's performance was particularly impressive since it opened on 800 fewer screens than Bee Movie and the crime drama, while often successful, very rarely opens with these type of blockbuster numbers. By comparison, The Departed opened with $26.9 million and that was considered a massive success. Gangster was also a career best for stars Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe, who play a drug baron and troubled detective respectively.
Bee Movie's numbers are not to sniffed at, but were slightly below the average for family animation. Jerry Seinfeld's first trip to the big screen, in which he plays a bee who dreams of something beyond the hive, may have been a little too grown up for the kids, with a tone that's most definitely aimed at fans of the reclusive comedian. The film will have a tough time next weekend as Vince Vaughn's christmas comedy Fred Clause makes a play for the family audience.
The only other top ten opening this week was John Cusack's drama Martian Child, which did poor business, coming in at number 7 with $3.65 million.