Mel-apalooza

So "Apocalypto" ruled the box office this weekend. All right, it didn't rule. Maybe it carved out a tiny principality. Still, $14 million is a nice piece of change for a project most were dismissing a few months ago as a quixotic home-movie from a celebrity who seemed one step away from a tinfoil hat. But, hey, if Oliver Stone can turn it around, so can brother Mel; the reviews were solid to excellent and the curiosity factor was high.

Plus, there's always the sympathy vote. My Friday review got a number of e-mail responses from readers jumping to defend Gibson from the lashings of the liberal media. "I plan to contribute twice," huffed one fellow. Another woman genteely wondered how Gibson could be labeled an anti-Semite if he was only telling the truth. And so forth.

The curiosity factor was probably the main spur, though, and "Apocalypoto"'s opening weekend was, obviously, far below the $84 million debut frame for "The Passion of the Christ" two years ago. The movie's certainly got legs onscreen -- Rudy Youngblood runs like a panther's after him; oh, wait, there is -- but next week will prove if it has legs in theaters.

The holiday house-swap chick flick "The Holiday" scared up $13.5 million, almost as much as "Apocalypto." (What, did couples just go split up and head into different theaters once they'd bought the tickets?) With $8.5 million, "Blood Diamond" was something of a disappointment considering how high Leonardo DiCaprio's flag is flying at the moment; that terrible title might have something to do with it. "Unaccompanied Minors," the unholy stepchild of "Home Alone" and "The Breakfast Club," stiffed at $6 million. This is proof that the legacy of John Hughes is indeed dead, at least until someone can talk Jon Cryer into playing Duckie for a "Pretty in Pink" reunion.

More box office filings here.