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The other new release yesterday whose producers are not considering suicide is The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. The special effects laden film earned $7.8 million during its first day in theaters. Given its $90 million production, the Ben Stiller remake needed a strong start to sustain its box office longevity. This title represents one of the better holiday options over the next ten days so it should survive despite tremendous market competition. Its B+ Cinemascore is also what passes for a positive right now.

So those are the top four films on Christmas Day. Let’s address the elephants in the living room before we discuss the titles that were already in release prior to yesterday. 47 Ronin, already a shocking disaster overseas, managed only $7 million during its North American debut. Why is that total a disappointment if Walter Mitty’s is not? Well… The price tag for 47 Ronin is $175 million or approximately $3.7 million per Ronin. So if the film had been entitled 20 Ronin at that same cost per Ronin, it wouldn’t be doing too shabby.

I know I’m being silly right now but where else am I supposed to go with this one? Keanu Reeves, who made hundreds of millions with The Matrix trilogy, hasn’t been seen since another December release, The Day the Earth Stood Still. And that film was a box office disappointment as well. North America is over Keanu.

Arguably, Grudge Match’s performance is better. The $40 million production started with $4 million yesterday, which seems fine until we remember that Christmas Day may be its best day. I suspect that this odd high concept release should earn enough over the next 10 days to mitigate the initial disappointment. The key is whether the negative buzz of its box office overwhelms its earning potential. Oddly, Grudge Match and 47 Ronin were both well received by early adopters as each one earned a B+ Cinemascore. Among the Christmas openers, the only movie that people disliked was the one that those same people chose to see more than the rest. Stuff like this is what drives movie makers insane. Well, insane-ier.

The rest of the top ten is comprised of American Hustle in fifth place, Frozen in seventh place, Saving Mr. Banks in eighth place and Tyler Perry’s A Madea Christmas in tenth place. As predicted yesterday, Madea did spike thanks to its holiday theme, improving from $1.3 million on Christmas Eve to $2.9 million on Christmas Day. American Hustle and Saving Mr. Banks did even better. The Sony film spiked 155% to $7.4 million, its best day thus far. With $5.1 million yesterday, the Disney movie about Walt Disney finally showed signs of life as well. To put yesterday’s performance in perspective, consider that it earned right at $10 million during its opening weekend.

Frozen is the more complicated prospect. Whereas every other title in the top ten gained at least 77% yesterday, the latest Disney Animation gem increased “only” 33% from $4.8 million to $6.4 million. In the process, the film that was in second place on Christmas Eve fell to seventh place on Christmas Day. This sort of behavior is not wholly unexpected as its Monday increase was so strong that simply maintaining for the rest of the week is an accomplishment in and of itself.

If we keep our eye on the ball here, what is germane to the Frozen discussion is that the film has earned $210 million in 34 days of domestic release. Tangled, the obvious comparison, was at $146.9 million after the same length of time. In another few days, Frozen’s pace will be more directly comparable to Monsters University, which wound up with a domestic take of $265 million. Just roll that around in your head for a second. Frozen isn’t The Lion King, but it’s the next best thing.

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