''Incredibles'' holds steady at No. 1

Even the star power of Tom Hanks couldn’t come close to toppling The Incredibles, as the Pixar smash in its second weekend more than doubled the debut of Hanks’ The Polar Express.

Building on its fantastic reviews, The Incredibles took a slip of just 28 percent from its $70.5 million opening, grossing an unbelievable $51 million (its 10-day total: a very strong $144.1 million). That’s even better than the small 34 percent drop Finding Nemo took in its second weekend last year, which bodes very well for The Incredibles‘ long-term box office prospects.

The Polar Express, meanwhile, placed second, with $23.5 million for the weekend and $30.8 million since its premiere last Wednesday. Hanks’ computer-animated entry apparently suffered from its moodier tone, darker subject matter, and simple lack of the Disney/Pixar name.

The rest of the top five was all new releases. The Pierce Brosnan/Salma Hayek heist thriller After the Sunset opened decently, with $11.5 million, while the sneak-peek opening of Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, in 530 theaters, made a very encouraging $8.9 million. Most impressively, it outgrossed the horror comedy Seed of Chucky, which earned $8.8 million despite playing in almost four times as many theaters. After The Grudge and Saw, perhaps audiences are just sick of being scared.