I Am Legend raked in the money, as expected. The public loves Will Smith, they love special effects, they love cute dogs, and I Am Legend gave audiences what they wanted. Peter Keough at the Phoenix went so far as to say that the dog in I Am Legend was his "favorite animal character of the year." As a result, the movie made an obscene $76.5 million on its opening weekend. Believe it or not, the kids and the stoners wanted to see Alvin and the Chipmunks, which made $45 million.

On the indie circuit, Juno continued its love-bombing campaign on the critics. People are falling all over themselves with praise. Ty Burr gave the movie three-and-a-half stars and declared, "Go forth and multiplex." (But please don’t do it in the back of the theater. Other people will be sitting there later. Thanks.)

Beyond the new releases, Eraserhead and Lynch (One) will still be playing at the Brattle. Coolidge Corner will be holding an open screening on Tuesday night, the 18th, at 7:00 pm. Anything in any format can be screened as long as it is under 10 minutes. Go to Boston Open Screen for more details.

But, really, all this particular Bostonist wants for Christmas is to see Walk Hard on December 21.

The dog is legend. And so's Will Smith. Image from IMDB.