Despite all the obsession with the Web in this column, the big Hollywood movies opening around the holidays does grab all the attention–and justifiably.
While new computers and game players are among the top-selling gifts, giant crowds of consumers still have descended and will be flocking to cineplexes across the country yesterday, today, tomorrow on Christmas day and throughout the weekend.
And, from the first box office reports, it looks like “Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel” is besting the sci-fi blockbuster “Avatar.”
Yes, pretty crude special effects–at least from what I saw in the first one multiple times with my kids–and very charming chipmunks has earned almost $20 million so far, while the James Cameron-helmed story about a blue-skinned heroic indigenous tribe at risk is at $16 million.
Nonetheless, tech-heavy “Avatar” has done about $243 million at the box office worldwide so far, since it opened last weekend, so it should not feel so bad about being beaten this weekend by a trio of singing rodents.
Here are the videos of the competing trailers:
[Full disclosure: Both top two movies this weekend are from 20th Century Fox, which is owned by News Corp. News Corp. (NWS) also owns Dow Jones, which owns this site.]
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