21 played its cards right this weekend, seizing the top spot at the North American box office with US$23.7 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.
Released by Sony Pictures and directed by Robert Luketic, the crime drama stars newcomer Jim Sturgess as a gifted MIT student whose car-counting techniques help him cash in at Vegas' hottest casinos.
Last week's winner, Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who!, slipped to second place, earning $17.4 million from ticket sales at 3,826 theaters. Distributed by 20th Century-Fox, the computer-animated film brought its domestic total to $117.4 million after a strong three-week run.
New entry Superhero Movie debuted in third place with $9.5 million. Directed by Craig Mazin and released by MGM, the slapstick comedy spoofs several recent action blockbusters, including Spider-Man and X-Men.
At No. 4, Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns collected $7.7 million, reaching a cumulative gross of $32.8 million after two weeks in release. Lionsgate's family drama stars Angela Bassett as a single mother whose life takes a drastic turn after she inherits a house from a father she's never met.
Meanwhile, Paramount's comedy Drillbit Taylor took home $5.8 million at No. 5. Directed by Steven Brill and starring Owen Wilson as a bodyguard who protects three kids from the high school bully, the film lifted its total haul to $20.5 million after a moderate two-week run.
Following closely in sixth place was 20th Century-Fox's horror remake Shutter, which earned $5.3 million and brought its cumulative gross to $19.1 million. The Masayuki Ochiai-directed film follows a couple haunted by a ghost whose silhouette appears in their photographs.
Roland Emmerich's (pre-)historical epic 10,000 B.C. tumbled to No. 7 and took home $4.8 million, reaching a domestic total of $84.9 million after four weeks in release. Just behind at No. 8, new entry Stop-Loss (above) pulled $4.5 million from admissions at only 1,291 sites.
Two films rounded out the top ten: Disney's family comedy College Road Trip, with a weekend gross of $3.5 million and a total of $38.3 million, and Roger Donaldson's gangster drama The Bank Job, with $2.8 million ($24.1 million total gross).
The fourth major release, Run Fat Boy Run, didn't make it into the top 10. Directed by David Schwimmer, the film stars Simon Pegg as an overweight security guard who decides to run a marathon to win back his ex-fiancée.
Dropping out of the top 10 this weekend were Summit's Never Back Down, with a total haul of $21.1 million, and Pete Travis' terrorism thriller Vantage Point, with a cumulative gross of $69.3 million.
Source: Box Office Mojo (boxofficemojo.com)
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21 deserved an oscar nomination. it was a fun movie that kept me at the edge of my seat the whole time. and the actor is so cute.