SUBMITTED BY Timbo

January 12, 2004 — Tim Burton's "Big Fish" was tops at the box office this past weekend, according to studio estimates, with $14.5 million in receipts, compared to $14.1 million for reigning champ "Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King".

In terms of dollars the haul was extremely close, and immediately prompted suggestions that something in the Hollywood kingdom smelt fishy. New Line distribution president David Tuckerman told Reuters on Sunday he believed the estimates for rival Columbia's release "seem a little high," and that Big Fishhad probably only earned about $13.7 million. So there's a small possibility that the tables could be tipped when final figures are posted Monday.

Whatever happens the weekend was good news for both movies.

Big Fish, in which Billy Crudup ponders the tale tales told by his fabulist father, played in youth by Ewan McGregor and near-death by Albert Finney, easily won the per screen average race. Trawled into 2,406 sites, after opening in a very limited way last year to qualify for Oscar attention, the PG-13 release averaged $6,027.

In contrast The Return of the King at 3,532 theaters averaged $3,999. However benefiting from good word of mouth, critical awards and repeat business, the third and final episode of the Hobbit saga is still running stronger than either of the first two hugely successful movies in the ring cycle and has now earned a whopping $312.2 million domestically, already very close to $314.8 million earned by The Fellowship of the Ring, and therefore expected to pass the $341.7 million earned by The Two Towers.

Read the rest at the link below.