Although critics tried to bury it, National Treasure: Book of Secrets dug up an estimated $65 million in its first five days of release, Christmas included. I Am Legend came in second with a five-day haul of $47.5 million; Alvin and the Chipmunks took in $32.8 mil; Charlie Wilson's War delivered $14.75 mil; and Sweeney Todd, running on half as many screens as its peers, drew $12.75 mil. — Ben KatnerRelated:• Box Office Finds Treasure at No. 1; Dewey Cox Blocked• Jessica Simpson's Blonde Ambition Could Set Record
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National Treasure: Book of Secrets, starring Nicolas Cage, topped the weekend box office with $45.5 million, besting the original's $35.1 mil opening. Last week's champ, I Am Legend, came in second with $34.2 mil.Rounding out the top five were Alvin and the Chipmunks ($29 mil), Charlie Wilson's War ($9.6 mil in its debut) and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (scraping together $9.35 mil across just 1,249 screens).Among other new releases, P.S. I Love You came in at No. 6 with $6.5 million, while the widely praised Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story disappointed with an eighth-place finish, taking in just $4.1 mil.Update: Jessica Simpson's Blonde Ambition reportedly grossed $384 — no typo there — on its opening day. See film critic Ken Fox's A Beautiful Fraud blog for that story.
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