Friday Box Office: The Christmas Season Starts Slowly

After lugging a train around the country all year in an attempt to hype its expensive holiday investment, Disney was rewarded with a $8,960,000 Friday for its version of A Christmas Carol, which falls into the low end of expectations. (The studio has long-range plans for this one and inflated 3D prices will help, but it's a soft start). Meanwhile, The Fourth Kind managed to convince your mom that it was Paranormal Activity and wound up in second place, while The Men Who Stare at Goats and The Box opened merely OK in light of conservative expectations for both. Full figures after the jump:

A CHRISTMAS CAROL: $8,960,000 (new)

THE FOURTH KIND: $5,000,000 (new)

THE MEN WHO STARE AT GOATS: $4,600,000 (new)

MICHAEL JACKSON'S THIS IS IT: $4,150,000 ($48,005,000)

THE BOX: $2,850,000 (new)

PARANORMAL ACTIVITY: $2,850,000 ($91,680,000)

COUPLES RETREAT: $2,000,000 ($91,552,000)

LAW ABIDING CITIZEN: $1,800,000 ($56,501,000)

WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE: $1,200,000 ($66,243,000)

SAW VI: $700,000 ($24,920,000)