Audiences seek out adventure over the pre-holiday weekend.

NICOLAS CAGE's historical scavenger hunt, 'National Treasure: Book of Secrets,' unearthed $45.5 million at the box office over the Friday-Sunday weekend, not including Tuesday's Christmas Day sales, which are expected to be reported later today. The adventure sequel finds Cage looking to clear his ancestor's name in the assassination of ABRAHAM LINCOLN.

WILL SMITH's apocalyptic suspenser, 'I Am Legend,' came in second with $34.2 million and the newly animated CGI antics of 'Alvin and the Chipmunks' placed third with $29 million. JASON LEE stars, while JUSTIN LONG, MATTHEW GRAY GUBLER and JESSE McCARTNEY provide the voices for little Alvin, Simon and Theodore.

The TOM HANKS/JULIA ROBERTS political piece, 'Charlie Wilson's War,' drummed up $9.6 million for fourth place, while JOHNNY DEPP's singing turn as the "Demon Barber of Fleet Street" in 'Sweeney Todd' did brilliant business in a meager 1,249 theaters with a per-screen average of $7,486. The movie placed fifth with $9.3 million.