MARLEY & ME Again Tops Box Office

Marley & Me topped the North American box office for the second consecutive weekend with $24 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.

David Frankel’s comedy starring Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston easily dominated the competition all week long, bringing its domestic total to an impressive $106.5 million after barely two weeks in release.

At No. 2, Adam Sandler’s latest comedy, Bedtime Stories, picked up another $20.3 million, reaching a total haul of $85.3 million. In the film, Sandler plays a hotel handyman whose bedtime stories become true the next day.

Meanwhile, David Fincher’s The Curious Case of Benjamin Button picked up $18.4 million in third place, lifting its cumulative gross to $79 million. Starring Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett, the movie tells the story of a man who mysteriously ages backwards.

Bryan Singer’s WWII drama Valkyrie, starring Tom Cruise (right) as a Nazi officer who turns against Hitler, clung to the No. 4 spot with a weekend gross of $14 million and a total of $60.6 million. Also in the Valkyrie cast are Kenneth Branagh, Tom Wilkinson, Bill Nighy, and Carice van Houten.

Following in fifth place with $13.8 million was Jim Carrey’s Yes Man, which brought its domestic total to $79.4 million after three weeks in release.

At No. 6, Sony’s drama Seven Pounds took home $10 million for a cumulative gross of $60 million. Starring Will Smith, the movie follows an IRS agent who decides to drastically change the lives of seven strangers.

Also staying put in seventh place was The Tale of Despereaux, which reached a total gross of $43.7 million after this weekend’s earnings of $7 million.

Things changed a bit at the bottom of the top 10. Doubt, with Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Amy Adams (above) climbed to No. 8 with $5 million ($18.7 million total), while Keanu Reeves' The Day the Earth Stood Still slipped to ninth place with $4.8 million (cumulative of $74.2 million).

Also moving up was Danny Boyle’s acclaimed drama Slumdog Millionaire, which finished tenth with a weekend gross of $4.7 million and a domestic total of $28.7 million.

Source: Box Office Mojo (www.boxofficemojo.com)