Cage finds boxoffice gold with 'Treasure' debut

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Cage finds boxoffice gold with 'Treasure' debut

The Hollywood Reporter
Dec 24, 2007
"National Treasure: Book of Secrets"

Nicolas Cage followed his secret treasure map to another fortune at movie theaters.

Cage's "National Treasure: Book of Secrets," the Disney sequel to its 2004 hit, opened as the weekend's No. 1 movie with $45.5 million as Hollywood continued a holiday spree at the box office, according to studio estimates Sunday.

With Cage reprising his role as a history buff on the hunt for a vanished fortune, the "National Treasure" sequel outdid the original, which debuted with $35.1 million on its way to a $173 million total.

The previous weekend's top flick, Will Smith's "I Am Legend," slipped to second place with $34.2 million, the Warner Bros. hit raising its 10-day total to $137.5 million.

Along with its domestic haul, the "National Treasure" sequel pulled in $22.3 million overseas, mostly in Asia.

The movie does not open in Europe until February, but with London and Paris locations, it should take in more overseas than the $173 million the first installment did, said Mark Zoradi, president of Disney's motion-picture group.

The movie follows Cage's character as he races to clear the name of an ancestor implicated in Abraham Lincoln's assassination, a trail that leads to a legendary city of gold.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/...f1fc77bacc711e

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Disney's "National Treasure: Book of Secrets" found plenty of offshore traction in day-and-date launches with $22.3 million at 2,055 playdates in 17 markets -- a healthy $11,338 per-location average. The Nicolas Cage actioner topped the 2004 original by 31% in comparable launches, topping Disney forecasts and signaling that it could exceed the $174 million "National Treasure" foreign cume.

The sequel finished first in Japan with $3.6 million, in South Korea with $3.5 million, in Australia with $2.8 million and in Taiwan with $2.5 million. "Treasure" came in a distant but decent second in Spain to "I Am Legend" with $2.6 million and third in Italy with $1.7 million to a pair of local comedies.

excerpt from:
'I Am Legend' rules overseas
Will Smith film tops international box office

Variety
December 23, 2007
http://www.variety.com/article/VR111...goryid=13&cs=1

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A holiday 'Treasure' at the box office

Disney
Nicolas Cage scored a $65 million Treasure over Christmas weekend.

By Scott Bowles
USA TODAY
December 26, 2007

Nicolas Cage's National Treasure: Book of Secrets topped the box office for the holiday weekend with a five-day total of $65 million, according to distributor Disney.

The debut — along with several high-profile films opening Christmas Day, including Jack Nicholson's The Bucket List— helped push weekend ticket sales ahead of last year's pace and virtually assured another up year for Hollywood's box office.

As of Sunday, ticket sales were at $9.2 billion, compared with $8.8 billion the same time in 2006 .

http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/...x-office_N.htm