Weekend’s US box office bounty: 'Old Dogs', 'Fantastic Fox' and 'New Moon'

With the long Thanksgiving weekend (November 26- 29) ahead in the US, there is an abundance of films at the box office -- and no turkeys. From comedy to action-adventure, children's fare and powerful dramas, the new offerings will appeal to a wide spectrum of tastes. But can anything outshine The Twilight Saga: New Moon?

With the long Thanksgiving weekend (November 26- 29) ahead in the US, there is an abundance of films at the box office - and no turkeys. From comedy to action-adventure, children's fare and powerful dramas, the new offerings will appeal to a wide spectrum of tastes. But can anything outshine The Twilight Saga: New Moon?

With screenings in more than 4,000 theaters, New Moon, should continue to dominate with competition looking pale. Even though some drop-off is expected from the huge numbers of last week, repeat viewings by so-called "Twihard" fans and word-of-mouth will add to its popularity.

For males not interested in the Twilight sequel, Ninja Assassin provides an alternative, while other films releasing this weekend attract a different demographic. A draw for adults, Old Dogs, starring Robin Williams and John Travolta, should profit from being the only comedy in theaters.

Not expecting big numbers but looking for a buzz will be films up for Oscar consideration and in limited release. There is the post-apocalyptic The Road starring Viggo Mortensen, Me and Orson Welles with Zac Efron and Claire Danes, and Rebecca Miller's The Private Lives of Pippa Lee.

A holdover from last weekend which could perform well again is The Blind Side, starring Sandra Bullock. Also, the animated Fantastic Mr. Fox expands across the country, building on its strong showing, in hopes of connecting with a family audience.

The animated The Princess and the Frog opens in only two theaters in New York and Los Angeles, along with special sold-out events, sets up anticipation for a big opening December 11.

With the US box office offering many possibilities this long weekend, including disaster movie 2012 and Jim Carrey in Disney's A Christmas Carol, New Moon is likely to remain the sensation and overtake the box office again. It also opens in Germany and Portugal November 26.

RC