Nicolas Cage and “National Treasure: Book of Secrets” are riding high atop the box office for the third straight week.
“It’s becoming a Fort Knox for Disney,” said Jeff Bock, a box-office analyst at Exhibitor Relations. “This is going to become Nicolas Cage’s highest-grossing film by next week.”
The globetrotting treasure hunt, which racked up $20.2 million over the weekend for a total of $171 million so far, beat out Will Smith’s last-survivor-in-Manhattan tale, “I Am Legend.” Smith’s scary adventure yarn actually climbed to the No. 2 slot from No. 3, while raking in $16.4 million.
At No. 3 was the surprise indie film “Juno,” a teen-pregnancy comedy, which sold $16.2 million in tickets.
With $52 million already in the bank, “Juno” is on its way to becoming Fox Searchlight’s biggest hit ever. It’s approaching “Little Miss Sunshine,” at $59.9 million, and “Sideways,” at $71.5 million.
“The middle of the country has really embraced the movie,” said Fox Searchlight President Peter Rice. The film, which had a limited release for larger markets before going wider last week, is making “all the top 10 lists,” he said.