Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix snatched the trophy at the North American box office this weekend with an estimated US$77.4 million.
Directed by David Yates, the fifth installment in the popular series based on J.K. Rowling's novels opened at 4,285 locations past Wednesday and cast a spell over its competitors at the box office, raising its cumulative gross to a magical $140 million.
Last week's winner Transformers dropped to the No. 2 spot, earning $36 million in ticket sales and lifting its total haul to $223 million after 2 weeks in theatres. The action spectacle directed by Michael Bay largely outgrossed his previous film The Island, which earned a total of $36 million in 2005.
Down from No. 2 to No. 3, the latest Disney/Pixar adventure Ratatouille took home $18 million this weekend, reaching a cumulative of $143 million after three weeks in release.
Meanwhile, Len Wiseman's action hit Live Free or Die Hard slipped to No. 4 with a weekend gross of $10.9 million and a total of $102.9 million. The fourth installment in the famed action series starring Bruce Willis surpassed the total (unadjusted for inflation) grosses of Die Hard and Die Hard With a Vengeance, and is a mere $13 million away from beating Die Hard 2.
License to Wed, a marital comedy starring Robin Williams replaced Evan Almighty at the No. 5 spot, earning $7.4 million from 2,715 locations and reaching a cumulative gross of $30.5 million after two weeks in theatres.
This upcoming weekend, two high-profile releases will battle for the No. 1 spot at the North American box office.
One of them is Hairspray, a remake of John Waters' 1988 movie of the same title that also became a Broadway musical. Directed by Adam Shankman, Hairspray stars John Travolta (in the old Divine role), Christopher Walken, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Nikki Blonsky in the role of Tracy Turnblad.
Also opening is I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, a comedy about two single friends who pretend to be a gay couple in order to receive domestic partner benefits. Directed by Dennis Dugan, the film stars Kevin James and Adam Sandler.
Source: Box Office Mojo (www.boxofficemojo.com)
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