ELF BLOWS MASTER AND COMMANDER OUT OF THE WATER

Men in tights were big at the box office this weekend. Which is probably good news if you’re into that sort of thing. Or if you’re Will Ferrell or Russell Crowe. (And if you are, please call, we’ve got a script you should read.)

Ferrell’s Elf dropped only 12% from last week’s opening to bring in $27.2 million and land at #1 at the box office, up from its bow at #2.

If that wasn’t enough grown men in thin, skin-tight leggings on movie screens, Crowe’s Master and Commander, a naval-adventure flick set in the Napoleonic era did $25.7 million, which was a close second.

In third, dropping 66% from its opening, was the last installment of the Matrix trilogy at $16.3 million. Whoa. Perhaps Keanu should have worn tights.

Other openers included Looney Tunes: Back in Action at #5 with $9.5 million and Tupac: Resurrection at #9 with $4.7 million.

Here’s the rest of the Top 10: #4 Brother Bear ($12m); #6 Love Actually ($8.9m); #7 Scary Movie 3 ($6.1m); #8 Radio ($5m); #10 Mystic River ($3.3m).