Not a surprise: “I am Legend” was a monster this weekend, grossing an estimated $76.5 million in its first three days of release … although that estimate might be revised downward in light of the East Coast being half-buried in snow this morning, which will almost certainly bring actual admissions well below the studio predictions.

Pretty surprising: “Alvin and the Chipmunks“, the number-two movie, pulled in a staggering $45 million, while the number-three film, “The Golden Compass“, coughs up blood in the corner with a piddly $9 million — a drop of 65% from last week’s $25.8 million opening, which means that unless the international returns are huge, we won’t be seeing further adaptations of Philip Pullman’s books.

Chipmunks beating up ice bears while Will Smith goes crazy a couple of rooms down the hall. This is shaping up to be an interesting holiday …