Holiday box office

By Scott Bowles, USA TODAY
Ben Stiller ended his year — and Hollywood's — on a good note this weekend as his Night at the Museum claimed the top spot in theaters.
Museum collected $46.7 million over the four-day weekend, according to studio estimates from Nielsen EDI. It was the second straight No. 1 weekend for Museum, which has raked in $125.8 million.

Hollywood ended the year with ticket sales 3% higher than 2005, snapping a three-year attendance slide.

"It's a good way to end one year and start the next," says Bruce Snyder, distribution chief for 20th Century Fox, which released Museum.

Will Smith's Pursuit of Happyness was second with $24.7 million, and the musical Dreamgirls was third in its first weekend of national release. It took in $18.7 million on 852 screens for a nearly $22,000 per-screen average. Charlotte's Web was fourth ($15.1 million), followed by The Good Shepherd ($14.3 million).

Mexican compatriots Guillermo del Toro and Alfonso Cuaron did well with their limited-release dramas. Del Toro's Pan'sLabyrinth did $751,000 on 17 screens for a $44,176 per-screen average, and Cuaron's sci-fi drama Children of Men earned $696,000 on 16 screens, a $43,500 average. Final numbers are due today.