David Frankel’s comedy Marley & Me raced to the top of the North American box office this weekend with $37 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.
Starring Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston as a couple struggling to keep their dog in check, Marley & Me lifted its domestic total to an impressive $51.6 million after only four days in release.
At No. 2, Adam Sandler’s latest comedy Bedtime Stories took home $28 million, reaching a cumulative gross of $38.5 million. The Adam Shankman-directed effort follows a hotel handyman whose bedtime stories come true the next day.
Meanwhile, David Fincher’s acclaimed drama The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, starring Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett, collected $27 million in third place, lifting its total gross to $39 million after a strong four-day run. In the film, Pitt plays a man who ages backwards.
Following at No. 4 with $21.5 million was Bryan Singer’s WWII drama Valkyrie, which brought its cumulative gross to $30 million. Starring Tom Cruise, the film follows a group of German soldiers plotting to assassinate Hitler.
The only wide release not to reach the top five this weekend was Frank Miller’s The Spirit, which picked up a disappointing $6.5 million at 2,509 locations. Based on the comic book series by Will Eisner, the film stars Gabriel Macht as a rookie cop battling crime in Central City.
Still going strong at No. 5 was Jim Carrey’s comedy Yes Man, which reached a total haul of $49.5 million following this weekend’s earnings of $16.4 million. In sixth place was Will Smith’s drama Seven Pounds, which earned $13.4 million for a cumulative gross of $39 million.
In the bottom part of the 10 highest-grossing films this weekend were The Tale of Despereaux, which took $9.3 million in seventh place ($27.9 million cumulative gross), and The Day the Earth Stood Still, which finished at No. 8 with a weekend gross of $7.9 million ($63.6 million total).
Rounding out the top 10 was Doubt, starring Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Amy Adams, which pulled $5.6 million for a domestic total of $8.8 million.
Source: Box Office Mojo (www.boxofficemojo.com)
The Spirit wasted my money. It sucks. They try to be like Sin City but lacking…lets see, everything.
It wasn't just Marley that beat Brad. Jen did it too!