The penguins from the Antarctic are no longer dancing. 3D animation flick Happy Feet Two is struggling at the box office after opening just three weeks ago.
The Roadshow-distributed film, directed by George Miller, made just $652,544 over the weekend across 305 screens – down a thumping 148 screens in seven days. Posting a screen average of just $2139, the film was down 49 per cent on last weekend's takings ($1.3 million).
It’s been a disappointing performance from the sequel to the 2006 Oscar-winning film which has also struggled in the US since opening on November 18. As of the January 6-8 weekend, it had grossed $US61.4 million in North America and was down to just 285 screens, according to Box Office Mojo.
The animated feature, again based on pudgy penguin Mumble and his dancing skills, has now marched to $8.9 million (11th place) at the local box office after taking $2.2 million in its opening weekend. The first film went on to make $31 million locally and it wasn't screened in the more expensive 3D format.
In other box office news, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows remained at the top of the table despite fierce competition from opening movies The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and The Muppets. Sherlock Holmes, distributed by Roadshow, grossed $3.3 million from 388 screens on the weekend and has made $12.4 million in total.
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo – David Fincher's US adaptation of the award-winning crime novel – opened at number two on the weekend with $2.34 million from 252 screens. The Sony Pictures-distributed film starring Daniel Craig follows a man's mission to find out what happened to a girl who has been missing for four decades.
Meanwhile after 12 years, the lovable characters The Muppets are back on the big screen. The Walt Disney film, starring Jason Segel and Amy Adams, raked in $2.30 million from 300 screens. Fox movie's The Descendants ($2.29 million, 189 screens) and Alvin and The Chipmunks: Chipwrecked ($2.2 million, 270 screens) rounded off the top five for the weekend.
Steven Spielberg's latest The Adventures of Tintin ($13.1 million) and War Horse ($8.4 million) have dropped to seventh and eighth place respectively in their third weekends. Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, which opened five weeks ago, has now grossed $16.5 million.
In limited releases, Tamil film Nanban opened with an impressive $76,580 from just seven screens. The film follows two friends who are on a quest for their lost buddy who was once an optimistic and successful student.
Australian films at the box office 2012
Source: MPDAA, IF