Two things we learned from the US box office this weekend: America really doesn't want to talk about Iraq, no matter how big the stars starting the conversation. And they've kind of gone off Christmas too.
Neither of the week's two big movies, Fred Claus and Lions For Lambs, could take the number one spot, landing at number three and four respectively. Last week's number two movie, Bee Movie, zipped up to number one to bring its two week gross to $72.2 million. That pushed last week's number one, American Gangster, down to number two with a total of $80.8 million in a fortnight.
Fred Claus, starring Vince Vaughn as Santa's useless younger brother, came in below expectations with $19.2 million, not a bad number, but one that doesn't stand it in very good stead with a glut of family movies, including Mr Magorium's Wonder Emporium and Enchanted, vying for its kiddy bucks over the next couple of weeks.
Robert Redford's Lions For Lambs received generally middling reviews in America (although we thought it was four stars good) and continued the trend for Iraq movies landing with a thud, taking a very disappointing $6.7million. That's Tom Cruise's lowest opening since Magnolia in 1999.
Horror movie P2 managed to crack the top ten, landing at number eight with $2.2 million. The movie boasted no stars (unless you count Wes Bentley), but may have been helped by a heavy advertising presence on the internet.
Just outside the top ten the Coen brothers' No Country For Old Men had a very successful limited release, taking over $40,000 on each of its 28 screens, grabbing a total of $1.2 million. Just above it at number fourteen Om Shanti Om was a rare Bollywood success in America taking $1.5 million.