In the US: Seasonal shit Four Christmases can't be dislodged from cinema sphincters, still there at #1... comic-book sequel PUNISHER: WAR ZONE belly-flops into #8 with a pitiful $4m in week's takings... and CADILLAC RECORDS, a drama musical starring Adrien Brody, fares even worse at #9 with just over $3m...US TOP 10
(1) 1. Four Christmases $16.8m
(3) 2. Twilight $13m
(2) 3. Bolt $9.8m
(5) 4. Australia $7.05m
(4) 5. Quantum Of Solace $6.75m
(6) 6. Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa
(7) 7. Transporter 3 $4.67m
(-) 8. Punisher: War Zone $4.27m
(-) 9. Cadillac Records $3.45m
(8) 10. Role Models $2.57m
In the UK: CGI animated sequel MADAGASCAR: ESCAPE 2 AFRICA entices families into their multiplexes, straight in at #1 with a very impressive £6m... Jason Statham's home crowd ensure TRANSPORTER 3 fares better in the UK than it did in the US, at #3 with just shy of £1m... despite decent reviews, nobody really cared about Samuel L. Jackson's LAKEVIEW TERRACE, which only manages a #7 debut with a low £224k... but low-budget horror THE CHILDREN does quite well to sneak into the chart at #1, considering it was off most peoples' radar and didn't get much advertising...
UK TOP 10
(-) 1. Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa £6.3m
(1) 2. Four Christmases £1.4m
(-) 3. Transporter 3 £958k
(3) 4. Changeling £721k
(2) 5. Quantum Of Solace £720k
(4) 6. Body Of Lies £260k
(-) 7. Lakeview Terrace £224k
(5) 8. My Best Friend's Girl £125k
(6) 9. High School Musical 3: Senior Year £110k
(-) 10. The Children £98k
UK RELEASES THIS WEEK
The Day The Earth Stood Still 
Sci-fi drama. An alien being arrives on Earth with a dire warning for mankind.
Director: Scott Derrickson Starring: Keanu Reeves, Jennifer Connelly, Kathy Bates, Jaden Smith, John Cleese, Jon Hamm, Kyle Chandler & Robert Knepper
Tomatometer: 23% (Rotten; based on 78 reviews) "Heavy on special effects, but without a coherent story at its base, The Day the Earth Stood Still is a subpar re-imagining of the 1951 science-fiction classic."
Inkheart 
Fantasy adventure. A young discovers her father can bring fictional characters to life.
Director: Iain Softley Starring: Brendan Fraser, Eliza Bennett, Paul Bettany, Matt King, Sienna Guillory, Andy Serkis, Jamie Foreman & Richard Strange
Tomatometer: 73% (Fresh; based on 15 reviews) "High adventure, solid fantasy fare, with all the right ingredients and a stellar cast to boot."
