'New Moon' Holds On (Barely) Over Hot 'Blind Side': Box Office Wrap-Up Nov. 25-29

Over the busiest Thanksgiving weekend ever at theaters, 'The Twilight Saga: New Moon' collected another $66 million to up its domestic 10-day total to a breath-taking $233 million. But the holiday's big story was 'The Blind Side,' a fact-based inspirational sports drama whose second week business actually grew -- a rarity in moviegoing habits -- to finish second with a five-day take of $57.5 million and a total of $100.3 million.

'Blind Side' star Sandra Bullock, who plays the mentor of future million-dollar NFL lineman Michael Oher, is now en route to having her two biggest box office hits occur in the same year. 'The Proposal,' which opened in June, grossed $164 million; 'The Blind Side,' with the help of positive word-of-mouth, may easily surpass that.

There will be no crying over 'New Moon,' but its business did drop dramatically from the first to second weekends, suggesting that 'Twilight's massive fan base has had its temporarily fill of metaphorical love blood and will now retreat into the real world awaiting 'The Twilight Saga: Eclipse' next fall.

Of the new releases, the Disney comedy 'Old Dogs' ended in fourth place with a disappointing five-day total of $24.1 million, which suggests it may gross less than $50 million by the end of its run. Meanwhile, the martial arts thriller 'Ninja Assassin' took in $21 million, a hefty amount for an R-rated bloodfest with a no-name cast.

Roland Emmerich's '2012' end-of-the-world disaster movie held on to third place on the box office chart, adding $25.6 million to a running total of $138 million. The numbers are good, if not world-shaking.

As some analysts predicted, audiences for 'Disney's A Christmas Carol' are starting to show some Christmas spirit. The Jim Carrey-starring motion-capture animated telling of Dickens' classic sold $22.5 million worth of tickets, which pushed it over the $100 million mark. The movie should do even better in the coming weeks.

Among the top 10 films in the market, 'Precious: Based on the Novel by Sapphire' had the highest per-screen average, $10,494 from 663 venues. The total for this remarkable indie hit now stands at $32.4 million.

For a movie that doesn't hold out much hope for mankind, let alone reasons to be thankful, John Hillcoat's grim post-apocalypse drama 'The Road' did decent business in 111 theaters, taking in $2 million over the five-day holiday. But it arrived on a gust of Oscar wind and should do well as we drift into the awards season next week.

Top 10 for Nov. 25-29:

1. 'The Twilight Saga: New Moon,' $66 million (4,024 theaters). Total: $233 million.
2. 'The Blind Side,' $57,5 million (3,140). Total: $100 million.
3. '2012,' $24.6 million (3,444). Total: $138.8 million.
4. 'Old Dogs,' $24.1 million (3,425).
5. 'Disney's A Christmas Carol,' $22.5 million (3,013). Total: $105.4 million.
6. 'Ninja Assassin,' $21 million (2,503).
7. 'Planet 51,' $13.9 million (3,035). Total: $28.5 million.
8. 'Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire," $10.1 million (663). Total: $32.4 million.
9. 'Fantastic Mr. Fox,' $9.5 million (2,033). Total: $10.1 million.
10. 'The Men Who Stare at Goats," $2.3 million (1,119) Total: $30.1 million.