Lionsgate pic opened to $1.8 mil from 18 locations for a record-breaking average.

While “Disney’s A Christmas Carol” (in the widest 3D release to date) saw a muted opening domestically and internationally, Lionsgate’s “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” scored a specialty record, with $1.8 million at only 18 runs in the U.S. That averages to $100,000 per screen, a record for a film opening in under 50 theaters.

The Robert Zemeckis-directed “Christmas Carol” grossed an estimated $31 million from 3,683 runs domestically and $12 million from 2,750 playdates in 18 territories, led by the U.K. with $2.9 million. Most B.O. seers had expected the Jim Carrey topliner to open north of $35 million in the U.S. and nearer to $5 million in the U.K. alone.

Overseas, “Christmas Carol” was beat by Sony holdover “This Is It,” which grossed $29 million from 8,800 playdates in 110 territories for a foreign cume of $129 million in its second frame and worldwide total of $186.9 million. The Michael Jackson pic held up well, placing No. 2 in the U.S. by grossing $14 million from 3,481 runs to beat the three other new wide entries.

In the No. 3 slot was Overture Films’ George Clooney starrer “The Men Who Stare at Goats,” directed by Grant Heslov, which opened to $13.3 million from 2,443 theaters. Overture had a good weekend as its “Law Abiding Citizen,” in its fourth week, placed No. 8, with a cume of $60.9 million.

Coming in No. 4 was Universal’s Milla Jovovich sci-fi thriller “The Fourth Kind,” launching to a better-than-expected $12.5 million from 2,527 theaters. The pic was fully financed and produced by Gold Circle Films. (Farther down the chart, U laffer “Couples Retreat” achieved a major feat with a zero decline from the previous weekend, ending the frame with a cume of $96 million.)

Warner Bros.’ Cameron Diaz-James Marsden horror film “The Box” didn’t fare as well in its debut, grossing $7.9 million from 2,635 theaters to come in No. 6, behind Paramount’s sleeper blockbuster “Paranormal Activity.” Media Rights Capital financed all but $7.5 million of “The Box’s” $30 million production budget.

After flocking to theaters in record numbers for much of the fall, moviegoers held back this weekend. Ticket sales domestically were down 14% from the same frame last year, when Paramount/DreamWorks Animation’s “Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa” opened to $63.1 million and U’s comedy “Role Models” debuted to $19.2 million.

“Christmas Carol’s” bow included more that 2,000 3D screens. Generally 3D titles tend to over-perform because of the added charge for 3D tickets. Disney underscored that “Christmas Carol” marked Zemeckis’ best domestic opening to date, besting “Polar Express” ($23.3 million for Warner Bros.) and, more recently, “Beowulf” ($27.5 million for Paramount).

“Christmas Carol” did 50% more opening biz that “Polar Express” did overseas, and “Polar Express” ended up grossing $304.9 million worldwide.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theatres, according to Hollywood.com. Final figures will be released Monday.

1. “A Christmas Carol,” $31 million.

2. “Michael Jackson’s This Is It,” $14 million.

3. “The Men Who Stare at Goats,” $13.3 million.

4. “The Fourth Kind,” $12.5 million.

5. “Paranormal Activity,” $8.6 million.

6. “The Box,” $7.9 million.

7. “Couples Retreat,” $6.4 million.

8. “Law Abiding Citizen,” $6.2 million.

9. “Where the Wild Things Are,” $4.2 million.

10. “Astro Boy,” $2.6 million.

[Credit: Variety / Hollywood.com]