Charles Huggins

Staff Writer n charlesh@nwanews.com

An oversized ape with a crush, a boy wizard and four children wandering through a fantasy wonderland have dominated the box office this winter movie season.

"King Kong" has flexed its muscles, and audiences heard its roar as the much anticipated blockbuster, starring Naomi Watts, Adrien Brody, Jack Black and a digital gorilla, was unleashed. The Peter Jackson remake of the 1933 classic stomped its way to the top of the food chain, earning $33.2 million over the holiday weekend, totaling $120.6 million in its first two weeks of release.

Based on the series of seven books by C.S. Lewis, "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" wooed the family audiences, drawing $31.7 million. The biggest family stalwart, though, is the latest installment of the J.K. Rowling series, "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire." Harry and his band of adolescent sorcerers only drew $6.4 million over the holiday weekend, but have conjured $262.4 million in its first six weeks of release, despite its darker thematic elements and a PG-13 rating.

Ticket sales have not gone down that much at the Carmike Cinema at the Sugar Creek Center, even though many Bella Vista residents are away for the holidays. A number of other family-friendly films, such as "Cheaper by the Dozen 2" and "Chicken Little" helped bring in the younger crowd.

"Christmas day was a slam dunk for us," a spokesman for Carmike Cinema said. "We were very busy."