Weekend box office: Penguins, yes; Jesus, no

The surprise this weekend wasn't that "Happy Feet" and "Casino Royale" continued their box office dominance. It was that the church-going crowd that turned out in droves for "Passion of the Christ" didn't show up for "The Nativity Story," which debuted with a paltry $7.2 million in over three thousand theaters.

Maybe everyone was out shopping. Maybe they didn't approve of teen star Keisha Castle-Hughes getting knocked up. Maybe Christ's death just plays better than his birth: Give the people what they want and they'll show up. In any case, it's a little depressing to realize the Matthew Broderick/Danny DeVito crapfest "Deck the Halls" made almost twice as much the week before.

Further box office divining here.