Weekend Receipts: Breaking Dawn Births Fifth Biggest Opening Weekend of All Time

The Twilight Saga sparkled to another #1 opening, as if you had any doubt; it was just a matter of how many millions Breaking Dawn would rake in, after Friday's $72 million opening day. But while all the excitement over weddings, butter-colored honeymoons, and monster vampire babies couldn't quite help BD eclipse New Moon (groan), it still nudged out Pirates of the Caribbean: The One with the Kraken for the #5 biggest opening of all time. That's forever, baby. Let's get our imprinting on in today's Weekend Receipts.

1. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1

Gross: $139,500,000 (new)

Screens: 4,061 (PSA $34,351)

Weeks: 1

I mean, of course the eagerly anticipated fourth film in the megahit Twilight franchise was bound to open big, and at number one; it had uberfans camped out for days in wedding gowns, for goodness sake! Breaking Dawn - Part 1 - the beginning of the end of the series, directed this time around by Oscar-winner Bill Condon - may have come in at only second among Twilight series opening weekends (behind 2009's New Moon, the first sequel following 2008's Twilight), but it was close. Besides, with all that honeymoon sexytime and placenta-chewing, Breaking Dawn may have lost a chunk of its young-young Twi-hard audience, despite its PG-13 rating. But those who've aged up with the vampire films into adulthood, Twi-Moms or otherwise? Let's just say repeat viewings are likely in store. Expect the power of RPattz to compel more box office domination next week, Muppets or no Muppets.

2. Happy Feet Two

Gross: $22,025,000 (new)

Screens: 3,606 (PSA $6,108)

Weeks: 1

Those poor, poor penguins. First they can't dance. Then they're steamrolled by sparkly vampires. Opening at just $22 million opposite Breaking Dawn, perhaps the Elijah Wood-led animated sequel never really had a chance. But the first Happy Feet made almost twice that when it debuted in 2006, going on to win the Oscar for Best Animated Feature; with a reported production budget of $135 million (which eclipsed that of Breaking Dawn's mere $110 million), maybe this franchise is on its way out. Or at least, to Direct-to-DVD Sequel Land.

3. Immortals

Gross: $12,252,000 ($52,980,000)

Screens: 3,120 (PSA $3,927)

Weeks: 2 (Change: -62.0 %)

Tarsem's CG-aided Greek myth actioner dropped off considerably with Twilight sucking up all the abs-related box office, but it's still holding above Adam Sandler's Jack and Jill. As far as I'm concerned, that's justice enough.

4. Jack and Jill

Gross: $12,000,000 ($41,028,000)

Screens: 3,438 (PSA $3,490)

Weeks: 2 (Change: -52.0%)

Seriously, people are still buying tickets to this?

5. Puss in Boots

Gross: $10,725,000 ($122,313,000)

Screens: 3,415 (PSA $3,141)

Weeks: 4

DreamWorks's Shrek spin-off was charging along solidly until this week, but it'll make back its $130 million production budget in the next week or so. Count that a victory for the swashbuckling sidekick-cum-hero, though next Friday Puss'll have to fend off the family-friendly triple whammy of Hugo, Arthur Christmas, and The Muppets.

--

10. The Descendants

Gross: $1,222,000 (new)

Screens: 29 (PSA $42,138)

Weeks: 1

George Clooney's star turn as a middle-aged husband wrestling with his fractured family opened in limited release with a better per-screen average than Breaking Dawn; it was writer-director Alexander Payne's best, and biggest, opening to date. In terms of Clooney awards season indies, The Descendants performed in the ballpark of Up in the Air, which, coupled with its critical momentum, bodes well for its Oscar profile.

Follow Jen Yamato on Twitter.

Follow Movieline on Twitter.