"Golden Compass" Takes First This Weekend

New Line's big-budget fantasy epic "The Golden Compass" had trouble finding its bearings at the domestic box office, grossing an estimated $26 million from 3,528 theaters. That's a soft debut considering the film's pricey production budget of at least $180 million. "Compass," the only new wide release of the frame, took No. 1.

New Line said while the film's performance fell below expectations - New Line had estimated that the opening haul would be between $30 million and $40 million - "Compass" had a strong international debut, grossing an estimated $55 million from 25 territories in its day-and-date debut.

The weekend box office was far cheerier on the limited side, with Fox Searchlight's quirky comedy "Juno" and Focus Features' "Atonement" both scoring strong openings.

"Juno" grossed an estimated $420,113 from seven theaters in Los Angeles and New York for a per location average of $60,016. That bests the openings of two other Searchlight pics, "Little Miss Sunshine" and "Sideways," which opened on a comparable number of screens.

Opening wider, "Atonement" grossed an estimated $816,883 from 32 theaters in top cities for a hefty per location average of $25,528.