"Ice Age 2" - The Second Weekend

We now have "Ice Age: The Meltdown's" second weekend grosses, and they remain buoyant... "IC2" remained at the top of the box office heap with $33.8 million. Although that's a 50% drop in box office, the flick still had the highest per-screen average of any wide release with $8,522. What this portends, IMO, is that production and employment in CGI feature animation is going to stay robust and continue to expand. I mean, "Cars" is going to have a strong opening, what with all of Lasseter's skill and Disney's marketing muscle. "Over the Hedge" from DreamWorks is testing well. And "Open Season" -- Sony Picture Animation's debut feature slated to open next Fall -- is getting good buzz. All in all -- to steal a line from Claude Raines in "The Adventures of Robin Hood" -- "there are golden days ahead..."