The teen thriller Disturbia did what no other film has managed this year -- topped the box office charts for a third straight weekend, though with receipts down 33% from the same weekend last year, this was one of the worst frames of 2007 so far.  Disturbia, which won't repeat next weekend when Spider-Man 3 opens, should end up with over $70 million at the box office, not bad for a film that cost just $23 million to make.

 

Another teen thriller that is sure to wither in the wake of Spider-Man, The Invisible, debuted in second place earning $7.6 million and had the highest per theater average of the week ($3,767).  David Goyer (Blade, Batman Begins) directed The Invisible, which may catch a break next weekend if Spider-Man showings are sold out.

 

The big loser during this past 'weakend' was Next, which starred Nicholas Cage and was supposed to be the box office king, but sputtered to a mere $7.2 million with a decidedly mediocre $2,642 average per venue -- a particularly poor opening for a star whose recent films such as Ghost Rider (which has earned $116 million) and National Treasure ($173 million) debuted strongly.

 

Meanwhile 300 has finally dropped off the charts, but not before it earned an amazing $207 million.  It is currently the #1 film of the year, though Spider-Man 3 will undoubtedly eclipse it.  300 is also the 7th best-selling comic book based movie of all time (behind the two Spider-Man movies, the original 1989 Batman, Men in Black and the second and third X-Men films, but ahead of Batman Begins) Look for a DVD release in the late summer/early fall, and big sales on disc are a foregone conclusion.