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So, not a stellar beginning, but I think that Arthur Christmas has a good chance of showing some solid legs as we move into December. The main obstacle I can see to it is Hugo, since if both films do well in the coming weeks they'll have to battle it out for space in the 3D screens, and with Hugo having a better 3D share so far (75% vs 53%) and due to expand drastically over the next few weeks, Arthur Christmas might get shoved out of the 3D screens and lose some of its momentum.

Matthew Huntley: I am both surprised and not surprised by Arthur Christmas. First, I'm NOT surprised by its opening weekend, as its marketing campaign was dry and uninspiring compared to the other family offerings, particularly The Muppets. Its theatrical trailer made it look generic and convoluted, and so family audiences probably approached it with caution and chose something more guarantee-able and familiar. However, I AM surprised by its glowing reviews, and just as Edwin alluded to, these and the film's word-of-mouth could propel it to $80 million or more over the next month. This won't be enough for it to recoup its reported $100 million budget, but at least it'll be respected and may show more vitality this time next year when it comes out on DVD/Blu-ray. Plus, its international numbers could help it clean up since its theme is universal and Christmas is celebrated in most countries around the world. Of all the films that came out this weekend, this is the one I'm most curious about come next weekend, just to see if its reviews/content allow it to hold onto its audience.

Tim Briody: I think it benefited from being a Christmas movie, as if you tell people it's an Aardman Studios film, you're like to get blank stares. Even if you mention Chicken Run, that was 11 years ago. It should hold fairly well over the next few weeks, but holy cow that budget...

David Mumpower: There is an aspect to this I want to emphasize before we evaluate opening weekend. The first is that going all the way back to Chicken Run in 2000, Aardman Animations titles have been remarkable performers overseas. The first three titles (Chicken Run, Flushed Away and Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit) earned a combined $227.6 million in North America. Their international revenue was a much more impressive $363.7 million worldwide. The behavior is similar to our recent Johnny English conversation in that the English movies do well here but we are the ancillary market rather than the primary one. Keeping this in mind (and not adjusting for box office inflation), two of their three films fell in the $55-$65 million range with the Wallace & Gromit title, their Toy Story, blowing the curve. And all three titles opened between $16-$19 million range. Aardman Animations titles to date have been slow, steady performers rather than out of the gates blockbusters.

Keeping this in mind, $17 million over five days is a touch less than I had anticipated due to the 3D release and several years of ticket price inflation (the last time there was an Aardman film, the average ticket price was $6.55). Still, I see this as in the same situation as the other new releases this weekend. A lot depends on how well it holds between now and New Year's Day. As long as it remains in exhibition until then, I fully expect it to wind up exactly where Chicken Run and Flushed Away did, although the $100 million price tag means North America is only paying the tip while Europe does the heavy lifting in terms of overall ticket revenue.

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