'Potter' Opens With Magical $87.7M Take

Harry Potter worked his magic with moviegoers over the weekend, conjuring up an estimated $87.7 million at the weekend box office.

That's a couple million dollars short of last year's debut of "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," which held the record for a three-day opening until "Spider-Man" cast a $115 million debut in theaters in May.

According to Exhibitor Relations, "Chamber of Secrets" took in nearly $29 million on its opening day Friday. By contrast, "Sorcerer's Stone" grabbed $32 million on its opening day last year.

Dropping to No. 2 was the Eminem rap drama "8 Mile," with an estimated $21 million. The film opened to a rousing $54 million in ticket sales last weekend.

Also dropping a slot from last weekend was the Tim Allen holiday comedy "The Santa Clause 2," earning an estimated $15 million.

Rounding out the top five were the Naomi Watts horror thriller "The Ring" and the new Steven Seagal action movie "Half Past Dead," with estimated takes of $11 million and $8.2 million in ticket sales, respectively.

"The Ring's" take was enough to push the film over the $100 million earnings mark.

Standing on the ledge of plunging into $200 million is the indie hit "My Big Fat Greek Wedding." The Nia Vardalos-penned comedy fable earned an estimated $4.7 million, bringing its total to $199 million.

Final figures will be released Monday.