The auds are out there, they just haven't seen anything they like -- until this weekend. 

Moviegoers, all 4 quadrants of them, flocked theaters to see Will and Alvin star in 50's-recycled projects.  Both movies performed way above expectations.   Sci-fi horror 'I Am Legend' hoped to do $40 mil, and brought in $76.5 mil, setting a December record for all films released that month, beating out all 3 'Lord of the Rings' movies.

Family comedy 'Alvin & the Chipmunks' hoped to squeak above the $20 mil mark and instead chipped in $45 mil, with males and females, families and non-families running neck and neck.  It scored second place on Variety's Top Ten list, behind 'Legend,' and was Number 1 on Find the Funny's Top Ten Comedy list.

The Jason Lee, Alvin, Simon and Theodore starrer was eighth highest for all December releases, and made the Top Twenty all-time best openings for family films.

Second-highest December opening ever for a film rated G or PG went to "Alvin," right after “The Chronicles of Narnia,” and it was also second-highest December opening for a comedy, just behind 'Meet The Fockers.'

 
In other comedy news, 'Enchanted' held its spell, adding another $6 mil to the coffers, for a cume of $92.3 million.  Queen Latifah's 'The Perfect Holiday' bypassed that other Christmas of Color movie 'This Christmas,' bringing in $3 mil.  Followed by holdovers 'Fred Claus' and 'This Christmas,'  the top five films on the Top Ten Comedy list were all holiday fare.

Spirit-and-Globe-nominated "Juno" is showing well, for a bouncing $36,018 per engagement and will add more markets through January.   For the first time since its opening ten weeks ago, ‘Lars and the Real Girl’ has dropped out of the Top Ten Comedy list, to number 11.

Find the Funny's Top Ten Comedy at the Box Office:
Weekend of December 14 - 16, 2007

1. Alvin & the Chipmunks
2. Enchanted
3. Perfect Holiday
4. Fred Claus
5. This Christmas
6. Juno
7. Bee Movie
8. Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium
9. Dan in Real Life
10. Margot at the Wedding

>> see the full Comedy at the Box Office chart 
>> read more at variety.com
>> see Variety's Top Ten Weekend Chart