Harry Potter won't need magic to make it to No. 1 again

Charlize Theron will attempt to dethrone Harry Potter from his No. 1 box office perch this weekend, but the boy wizard is likely to prove more enchanting than the Oscar-winning beauty.

After dominating multiplexes over the Thanksgiving holiday, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire should see a decent-sized drop in its third weekend to about $25 million. But that should easily be enough to top Theron’s action flick Aeon Flux, based on the cult MTV animated series. Interest doesn’t seem to be too high among audiences beyond the young male sci-fi set, and a debut of $12 million seems likely.

The Oscar-bait drama Walk the Line could then slip one slot to third place, earning another $11 million, while two family films — Yours, Mine & Ours and Chicken Little — should round out the top five with $9 million and $7 million, respectively. But don’t fret: The movie scene will pep up a bit with The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe next weekend.