This weekend’s box office numbers are in and “Milk” is … still a financial success. All five Best Picture Oscar-nominated films are still in theaters, with “Milk,” “The Reader,” “Slumdog Millionaire” and “Frost/Nixon” all being expanded to more screens post-nomination. “Milk” was in the fewest theaters—882—but made $1.4 million, putting its total take at $23.4 million, and it remains the third highest-grossing film in the running for Best Picture.

“Milk bombed at the box office!” said a dazzled Brian Kilmeade. Milk made less money than nominees “Slumdog Millionaire” and “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” but it’s been more successful than the other two nominees. “Milk” cost $20 million to make and has reeled in $20.5 million. “Frost/Nixon” cost $25 million and has made $9 million, while “The Reader” cost $32 million and has made $8 million.

This struck me because three years ago, another gay-themed film, “Brokeback Mountain,” was nominated for nine Oscars, and Fox News hosts insisted that the movie was unsuccessful.

“I believe this is a Hollywood favorite even though it may not be a box office favorite,” said then-host John Gibson. “Are they going to just lavish this movie with awards?” The irony was that “Brokeback Mountain” was a smash, grossing $83 million, more than the mediocre drama “Crash,” which won that year’s Oscar for Best Picture. And “Brokeback Mountain” was a romantic drama, historically a higher-grossing genre than the political biopic.

It’s not just the gay and lesbian community that’s going after President-elect Barack Obama for his choice to have Rick Warren, the socially conservative evangelical minister, deliver the inauguration’s invocation. Blogging for Congressional Quarterly, David Corn, Washington bureau chief of Mother Jones, says Obama has “stepped over a line…even if this is a symbolic gesture.” From the CQ blog:

By all means, Obama should work with Rick Warren when there is common cause. For political reasons, he should not eschew Warren because of his anti-gay views. Warren can be a powerful ally when it comes time to persuade the public to support climate change legislation. Success in governing often depends on forging coalitions with those with whom you disagree.

But Warren’s opposition to gay rights is more than a mere policy dispute. It is an act of bigotry. Sure, Warren does not believe he is being discriminatory. But that’s what it is. He is denying rights to certain Americans because he disapproves of how they love. By handing Warren this prime slot at the inauguration, Obama is saying that he recognizes Warren as a spiritual leader and is reaffirming Warren’s position as such. This is an insult to gay Americans and those who support equal rights in this nation.

As Laura pointed out earlier, Obama defended his choice this morning, saying that he’s a “fierce advocate for gay and lesbian Americans.” Tapping Warren, he added, is part of his campaign promise to reach across the aisle to end the partisan bickering that poisoned Washington in recent decades. The left is going nuts that the process would include the acceptance of a guy like Rick Warren. Then again, what did liberals think bipartisanship would look like?