Nicolas Cage's latest action vehicle Bangkok Dangerous topped the North American box office this weekend with an underwhelming US$7.8 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.
As the only nationwide release, Danny and Oxide Pang's widely panned flick ended the three-week reign of DreamWorks' Tropic Thunder, leading an incredibly slow weekend. In the film, Cage stars as a lonely hitman who travels to Bangkok and falls in love with a local woman.
Ben Stiller's action comedy closely followed at No. 2, earning $7.5 million and reaching a domestic total of $96.8 million after four weeks in release. With Stiller, Jack Black, and Robert Downey Jr. in the lead roles, Tropic Thunder centers on a group of actors fighting for survival in a dangerous jungle.
Meanwhile, The House Bunny climbed back up to No. 3, collecting $5.9 million. Starring Anna Faris as a former Playboy bunny who becomes the housemother of a geeky sorority, the Fred Wolf-directed comedy lifted its cumulative gross to $36.9 million.
At No. 4, Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight picked up another $5.7 million, bringing its total gross to an impressive $512.1 million after a phenomenal eight-week run. Following in fifth was Jeffrey Nachmanoff's thriller Traitor, which reached a cumulative of $17.6 million thanks to this weekend's earnings of $4.6 million.
Slipping to No. 6 was Mathieu Kassovitz's Vin Diesel vehicle Babylon A.D., which took home $4 million. The film, which stars Diesel as a mercenary escorting a young woman from Mongolia to New York, lifted its domestic total to $17.1 million after two weeks in release.
Paul W.S. Anderson's Death Race finished seventh with $3.5 million, bringing its total gross to $29.7 million. Starring Jason Statham, the film follows a prisoner who's forced to participate in a deadly car race.
Following closely at No. 8 was Disaster Movie, which pulled $3.3 million and reached a cumulative take of $10.8 million. Directed by Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer, the film spoofs most of this year's blockbusters.
Two films rounded out the top 10: Universal's musical Mamma Mia! starring Meryl Streep, with a weekend gross of $2.7 million and a total of $136.2 million, and Sony 's Pineapple Express (above), with a cumulative gross of $84.1 million.
Source: Box Office Mojo (www.boxofficemojo.com)