In the US: It may have received terrible reviews, but FOUR CHRISTMASES still attracted a big audience Stateside (as the first festive film of the year), to nab the #1 spot... bad news for Baz Luhrman, as his epic romance AUSTRALIA flops in at #5 with a weak $14m haul... TRANSPORTER 3 only manages to take #12m, debuting at #7... and Gus Van Sant's drama about California's first gay official, MILK, has a disastrous opening at #10...US TOP 10
(-) 1. Four Christmases $31.1m
(3) 2. Bolt $26.6m
(1) 3. Twilight $26.3m
(2) 4. Quantum Of Solace $18.8m
(-) 5. Australia $14.8m
(4) 6. Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa $14.2m
(-) 7. Transporter 3 $12.1m
(5) 8. Role Models $5.19m
(8) 9. The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas $1.7m
(-) 10. Milk $1.45m
In the UK: Brits reflect their US cousins, inexplicably showing an appreciation for seasonal turd FOUR CHRISTMASES, straight in at #1... great reviews for CHANGELING propel it to #3 with a respectable £1.2m... and Hollywood comedy WHAT JUST HAPPENED? didn't interest audiences, as the Robert De Niro movie debuts at #7...
UK TOP 10
(-) 1. Four Christmases £2.2m
(1) 2. Quantum Of Solace £1.4m
(-) 3. Changeling £1.2m
(2) 4. Body Of Lies £518k
(3) 5. My Best Friend's Girl £326k
(4) 6. High School Musical 3: Senior Year £280k
(-) 7. What Just Happened? £178k
(5) 8. Zack And Miri Make A Porno £178k
(8) 9. Quarantine £160k
(6) 10. Max Payne £132k
UK RELEASES THIS WEEK
The Children 
Horror. A relaxing Christmas vacation turns into a terrifying fight for survival as the children turn on their parents.
Director: Tom Shankland Starring: Eva Birthistle, Freddie Boath, Raffiella Brooks, Stephen Campbell Moore & Jake Hathaway
Tomatometer: 67% (Fresh; based on 9 reviews) "Unsettling and spine-chilling low-budget British horror, with effective and disturbing scares."
Lakeview Terrace Drama. An LAPD officer tries to stop force an interracial couple from moving out next door.
Director: Neil LaBute Starring: Samuel L. Jackson, Patrick Wilson, Kerry Washington, Ron Glass, Justin Chambers & Jay Hernandez
US Box Office: $39 million
Tomatometer: 49% (Rotten; based on 139 reviews) "This thriller about a menacing cop wreaking havoc on his neighbors is tense enough but threatens absurdity when it enters into excessive potboiler territory."
Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa 
Animated adventure. A gang of animals crash-land in Africa and have to survive.
Directors: Eric Darnell & Tom McGrath Voices: Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer, Jada Pinkett Smith, Sacha Baron Cohen, Cedric The Entertainer, Andy Richter, Bernie Mac, Alex Baldwin & Sherri Shepherd
US Box Office: $160 million
Tomatometer: 62% (Fresh; based on 126 reviews) "Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa is an improvement on the original, with more fleshed-out characters, crisper animation and more consistent humor."
The Secret Life Of Bees 
Drama. A 14-year-old girl living in South Carolina in 1964 investigates the background to her late mother.
Director: Gina Prince-Bythewood Starring: Dakota Fanning, Queen Latifah, Jennifer Hudson, Alicia Keys, Sophie Okonedo, Paul Bettany & Hilarie Burton
US Box Office: $36 million
Tomatometer: 56% (Fresh; based on 124 reviews) "The Secret Life of Bees has moments of charm, but is largely too maudlin and sticky-sweet."
Transporter 3 Action. A tough guy has to deliver the kidnapped daughter of a Ukrainian government official from Marseille to Odessa.
Director: Olivier Megaton Starring: Jason Statham, Natalya Rudakova, Francois Berleand, Robert Knepper, Jeroen Krabbe, Alex Kobold & David Atrakchi
US Box Office: $20 million
Tomatometer: 36% (Rotten; based on 94 reviews) "This middling instalment in the Transporter franchise is a few steps down from its predecessors, featuring generic stunts and a lack of energy."
