Big Weekend for Matrix, Elf

Warner Bros.’ EFX extravaganza The Matrix: Revolutions used some centrifugal force to pull in an estimated $50 million dollars at the North American box office over the weekend. The mind-bending sci-fi actioner has made more than $118 million worldwide since opening last Wednesday. Also taking a big scoop of moviegoer money was New Line’s holiday comedy Elf, featuring stop-motion animation by the Chiodo Bros. The Will Farrell vehicle earned an estimated $32.1 million.

Though it dropped one spot to No. 3, Disney’s Brother Bear is proving to be a formidable competitor. The 2D animated feature surprised a lot of pundits by snatching up another $18 million over the weekend, bringing its two-week total to around $44.1 million. While receipts for many films drop off as much as 50% in their second week, Bear only slipped 4.1%, indicating that film could have strong legs throughout the holiday season.

Dimension’s Scary Movie 3 and Sony’s Radio round out the top five box office performers with an estimated $11.1 million and $7.4 million respectively.