With an estimated US$41 million take, Cloverfield destroyed its competition at the North American box office this weekend.
Paramount's monster movie directed by Matt Reeves and produced by J. J. Abrams soared past the $35 million record opening of the Star Wars 1997 rerelease. Cloverfield focuses on a small group of friends trying to escape Manhattan while a massive creature rips through the city.
New entry 27 Dresses (above, with James Marsden and Malin Akerman) ranked in second, pulling in $22.4 million from ticket sales at 3,057 locations. The Anne Fletcher-directed romantic comedy stars Katherine Heigl as a passionate bridesmaid who's asked to arrange her sister's wedding to the man (Edward Burns) she's secretly in love with.
Last week's winner, The Bucket List, dropped to No. 3, earning $15.2 million. The Warner Bros. release directed by Rob Reiner lifted its domestic total to $42.7 million after four weeks. Starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman, the much-panned comedy follows the adventures of two terminally ill cancer patients who flee the hospital so as to chase their dreams and come to terms with their past.
Meanwhile, Jason Reitman's surprise hit Juno fell to No. 4, collecting $10.3 million and reaching a cumulative gross of $85.4 million after a strong seven-week run. Released by Fox Searchlight, the film stars Ellen Page (above, with Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner) as a pregnant 15-year-old who decides to give her baby up for adoption. Juno failed to pick up any Golden Globes this past weekend, but its expansion into 2,534 theatres two weeks ago considerably boosted the film's ticket sales.
Down one spot to No. 5, Walt Disney's National Treasure: Book of Secrets picked up $8.1 million, lifting its total haul to $198 million after five weeks in release. Directed by Jon Turteltaub and starring Nicolas Cage, Helen Mirren, and Diane Kruger, the sequel to the 2004 smash hit National Treasure portrays the new adventures of treasure hunter Benjamin Gates, who travels the globe to discover the truth behind the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.
Ice Cube's latest comedy, First Sunday, slipped to No. 6, earning $7.8 million. The David E. Talbert-directed film raised its domestic total to $28.4 million after only two weeks in theatres.
New entry Mad Money, starring Diane Keaton, Queen Latifah, and Katie Holmes, ranked in seventh with a weekend gross of $7.7 million, while Tim Hill's Alvin and the Chipmunks closely followed at No. 8 with $7 million. The live-action-cum-animated film based on the popular 1980s cartoon series remains an impressive box-office success, reaching a total gross of $196 million after six weeks.
Two films rounded out the top ten: Francis Lawrence's post-apocalyptic thriller I Am Legend, with $5.1 million, and Joe Wright's Golden Globe winner Atonement, with $4.7 million.
This has been an incredibly strong January weekend, with the top three films pulling in a combined $78.5 million. Cloverfield has become the first major box-office hit of 2008, leaving experts guessing on how it will perform against Sylvester Stallone's Rambo, scheduled to open next Friday.
Source: Box Office Mojo (www.boxofficemojo.com)