'Golden Compass' lacklustre at U.S. box office

09/12/2007 21:14

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - "The Golden Compass," a $180 million (88.7 million pounds) family fantasy starring Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig, did not meet expectations at the North American box office, opening at No. 1 but with weekend ticket sales of just $26.1 million, its distributor said on Sunday.

New Line Cinema, a unit of Time Warner Inc, had hoped the film would pull in between $30 million and $40 million.

"It’s a little bit disappointing," said Rolf Mittweg, president and chief operating officer of New Line’s worldwide distribution and marketing operations.

He hoped word of mouth would help the film in coming weeks, especially with school holidays starting. "It’s all about longevity," he said.

Based on the first book in British author Philip Pullman’s acclaimed children’s series "His Dark Materials," writer/director Chris Weitz’s film is set in an alternate world ruled by an oppressive religious authority. It features talking animals and a heroine played by youngster Dakota Blue Richards.

Even though the film downplays the religious aspect, the Catholic League said it wanted Christians "to stay away from this movie." But the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops described it as "an exciting adventure story with a traditional struggle between good and evil."

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After leading the pack for two weeks, Walt Disney Co’s hit fairy-tale fantasy "Enchanted" slipped to No. 2 with $10.7 million, taking its three-week tally to $83.9 million.

Sony Corp’s urban comedy "This Christmas" held at No. 3 with $5.0 million, giving it a $42.8 million total, also after three weeks.

(Reporting by Dean Goodman; editing by Eric Walsh)

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