Lemony Snicket Plagued by the Number 30

Lemony Snicket Plagued by the Number 30 Movie Takes First at the Box Office With $30.1 Million; 'A Series of Unfortunate Events' Hits High of 30 Million Books Sold Worldwide LOS ANGELES, Dec. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- The events of the December 17 weekend have left Lemony Snicket devastated, and terribly afraid of the number 30. Despite warnings, audiences seeking to dampen their holiday spirit lined up to view "Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events," which amassed $30.1 million and debuted in first place at the box office. To make matters worse, HarperCollins Children's Books announced that the series of books, which have already spent more than a combined 600 weeks on the "New York Times" Best Sellers List, has sold more than 30 million copies worldwide. Reports confirm that the number 30 phenomenon is currently under investigation. "Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events," based on the first three books in the series by author Daniel Handler including "The Bad Beginning," "The Reptile Room" and "The Wide Window," surmounted the star-driven "Ocean's Twelve," bumping it to second place at the box office. Directed by Brad Silberling, the film by DreamWorks, Paramount and Nickelodeon stars Jim Carrey, Jude Law and Meryl Streep, with supporting cast including Luis Guzman, Jennifer Coolidge, Liam Aiken and Cedric the Entertainer. The movie chronicles the misadventures of the Baudelaires, three savvy and resilient orphans in search of a home. From the very first moments of this alarming film, when the kids find themselves abruptly orphaned and taken in by the villainous Count Olaf who has designs on their inheritance, through to the last moment of this distressing tale, disaster lurks at their heels. "A Series of Unfortunate Events" has shocked and engrossed more than 30 million readers worldwide since the release of the first book in 1999. Each of the 11 books in the series -- including "The Bad Beginning," "The Reptile Room," "The Wide Window," "The Miserable Mill," "The Austere Academy," "The Ersatz Elevator," "The Vile Village," "The Hostile Hospital," "The Carnivorous Carnival," "The Slippery Slope" and his latest release, "The Grim Grotto" -- has reached the "New York Times" Best Sellers list. Literary and irreverent, hilarious and deftly crafted, "A Series of Unfortunate Events" offers an exquisitely dark comedy in the tradition of Edward Gorey and Roald Dahl. Lemony Snicket's uproariously unhappy books continue to win readers everywhere, despite his continued warnings. HarperCollins Children's Books is one of the leading publishers of children's books. Respected worldwide for its tradition of publishing quality, award-winning books for young readers, HarperCollins is home to many children's classics -- "Charlotte's Web," "The Chronicles of Narnia," "Goodnight Moon," "Where the Sidewalk Ends" and "Where the Wild Things Are;" popular series -- "A Series of Unfortunate Events" and "The Princess Diaries." HarperCollins Children's Books is a division of HarperCollins Publishers, one of the leading English language publishers in the world and a subsidiary of News Corporation (NYSE:NWS)(NYSE:NWS.A). Headquartered in New York, HarperCollins has publishing groups in the U.S., Canada, the U.K. and Australasia. You can visit HarperCollins Children's Books on the Internet at www.harperchildrens.com. Source: HarperCollins CONTACT: Steven Wilson of B|W|R Public Relations, +1-310-550-7776, swilson@bwr-la.com, for HarperCollins; or Amy Burton, Publicity Director of HarperCollins, +1-212-261-6796, amy.burton@harpercollins.com Web site: http://www.harperchildrens.com/ ------- Profile: International Entertainment