A CHRISTMAS CAROL rings in the holidays early with $9M Friday & a possible $32M opening; Michael Jackson likely to finish just ahead of Clooney's GOATS!

Disney's A Christmas Carol, the 3-D animated update of the Charles Dickens classic from motion capture master Robert Zemeckis, scored a decent $9M on its opening day, and seems headed for a weekend of something in the $32M range. Perhaps handicapped by the fact that its release lands closer to Halloween than to Christmas, this Jim Carrey vehicle should continue to perform strongly through the holiday season.

The 2nd-place finisher for the day is The Men Who Stare At Goats (Overture), starring George Clooney, with an estimated $4.6M, but the adaptation of Jon Ronson's book of the same name will drift to #3 by the end of the weekend for a still-solid $13.8M 3-day. After adding $4.3M to start the weekend, Michael Jackson's This Is It! (Sony) will ride strong Saturday and Sunday matinee business to the runner-up position with a possible $13.8M and a 10-day cume of $57.6M.

The Fourth Kind (Universal) managed $4.5M on Friday, fueled by a campaign that seems eerily like the ads for mega-hit Paranormal Activity (Paramount). The thriller from director Olatunde Osunsanmi seems headed for about $11.3M by Monday morning. Meanwhile, the news is bad for the horror flick The Box (Warner Bros). Despite a cast that includes Oscar nominee Frank Langella and Cameron Diaz, the Richard Kelly-directed horror yarn only scared up an estimated $3M in opening day business, and it will probably finish the weekend at just over $8M. 

EXCLUSIVE STEVE MASON EARLY FRIDAY & 3-DAY ESTIMATES FOR NOVEMBER 6-8
1. NEW - A Christmas Carol (Disney) - $9M Fri - $32M 3-day - $32M cume
2. Michael Jackson's This Is It! (Sony) - $4.3M - $13.8M 3-day - $57.6M cume
3. NEW - The Men Who Stare At Goats (Overture) - $4.6M Fri - $13.1M 3-day - $13.1M cume
4. NEW - The Fourth Kind (Universal) - $4.5M Fri -$11.3M 3-day - $11.3M cume
5. NEW - The Box (Warner Bros) - $3M Fri - $8.1M 3-day - $8.1M cume
6. Paranormal Activity (Paramount) - $2.8M Fri - $8.1M 3-day - $96.9M cume