Opening numbers, closing numbers, and some weekend numbers.

- The Thursday opening day box office numbers are in, and it's no contest - Zhang Yimou's Curse of the Golden Flower is in first with HK$1.07 million on 43 screens (That's a HK$24,883 per-screen), Confessions of Pain in a far second with HK$830,000 on 45 screens (a HK$18444 per-screen), Casino Royale at third with HK$700,000 on 36 screens (a HK$19444 per-screen), Happy Feet at fourth with HK$460,000 on 34 screens (HK$13,529 per-screen - don't let this one fool you, though. Those numbers will pick up by the weekend), and Eragon with a measly 160,000 on 31 screens.

Except for Casino Royale and Happy Feet possibly switching places by the end of the weekend, the top 4 films should continue to do very strong numbers over the 3-day weekend.

(source: mov3.com)

- The official numbers from the Japanese box office also came in. Looks like NANA2 may still have a chance at hitting the all-important 10 billion yen mark after dropping only 20%, but it's not going to be that 6th big Japanese film like everyone had predicted. Letters From Iwo Jima will probably stay strong through the new year with only a 26.5% drop in its second weekend. Hopefully, it'll be strong enough so I can catch an English-subtitled version next week when I travel to Japan.

(source: Box Office Mojo)

- And the controversal Japanese drama of the season, 14 Sai no Haha (or 14-year old Mother), broadcasted its last episode to its highest ratings yet - 22.4%., and a final average of 18.4%, much much stronger than the drama from the same timeslot the previous season. I think most of the ratings came from the thematic controversy, since the show itself is tame with its subject matter, turning its wagging finger on rich moms and nosy neighbors. This season's strongest drama, Clinic of Dr. Koto 2006, wrapped up last night in Japan time, and ratings should be in any time now.

(source: Dramanews.net)