SUBMITTED BY Timbo

November 24, 2003 — "The Cat in the Hat", the latest live-action Seussian romp, was the champ at the North American box office this past weekend.

While it fell short of 2000's How the Grinch Stole Christmas, which made its debut at $55.1 million, Cat raked in a respectable $40.1 million, according to estimates from box office trackers Nielsen EDI.

But the feline will have to knock off a 6-foot elf if it wants to lay claim as the biggest holiday movie of the year. Elf, the $32 million comedy starring Will Ferrell that features virtually no computer-generated special effects, is in its third week but continues to ride a wave of strong word of mouth. The film was No. 3 for the weekend, dropping only 27% to $19.1 million, for a total of $95.1 million.

Cat, the $100 million effects-laden spectacle starring Mike Myers, met most analysts' expectations and drew primarily parents and children, who together made up 71% of the audience. About 60% of Cat's filmgoers were female, and almost one-quarter of the audience was 8 years old or younger, according to distributor Universal Studios.

"Kids know and loved the book, which is what brought them out to the theaters," says Universal distribution chief Nikki Rocco.

Read the full article at the link below.