By the Numbers

Weekend box office

Fueled by blockbuster sequels “The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers” and “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets,” as well as “Catch Me If You Can,” the Christmas holiday saw the biggest box office on record. From Thanksgiving to Sunday, the domestic box office generated a record-breaking $939 million in revenue, up from $748.3 million last year, according to the box office tracking firm Exhibitor Relations Co. Among films in limited release, “Chicago” debuted with $2.1 million, for a per-venue average of $26,947; “Pinocchio,” which bowed Christmas Day, grossed $1.2 million, for a theater average of $964; “The Hours” grossed $338,622, averaging a healthy $30,784 per theater; “The Pianist” grossed $111,261, for a per theater average of $42,864; and “Nicholas Nickleby” bowed with $42,864 and an average of $8,573; “Max” opened with $30,157, for an average of $5,026.

-- Robert W. Welkos

*--* MOVIE 3-DAY TOTAL VENUES AVERAGE WKS (STUDIO) GROSS (MILLIONS) PER OUT (MILLIONS) VENUE 1 The Lord of the $48.9 $200.1 3,622 $13,494 2 Rings(New Line) 2 Catch Me If You Can* $30.1 $48.7 3,156 $9,532 1 (Dreamworks) 3 Two Weeks Notice $15.5 $43.0 2,755 $5,633 2 (Warner Bros.) 4 Maid in Manhattan $12.5 $57.0 2,938 $4,263 3 (Sony) 5 Gangs of New York $10.9 $29.9 2,190 $4,999 2 (Miramax) 6 Drumline (Fox) $8.1 $36.6 1,669 $4,858 3 7 The Wild Thornberrys $7.4 $18.4 3,012 $2,445 2 Movie (Paramount) 8 Harry Potter and the $6.5 $240.3 2,505 $2,585 7 Chamber of Secrets (Warner Bros) 9 The Hot Chick (Buena $4.8 $22.2 2,246 $2,143 3 Vista) 10 Die Another Day (MGM) $4.4 $146.7 1,875 $2,328 6

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*Opened Wednesday

Source: Exhibitor Relations Co.