The Game Plan rocketed to the top of the North American box office this weekend with an estimated US$22.7 million.
The Walt Disney Pictures' PG comedy directed by Andy Fickman and starring Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson opened at 3,103 sites on Friday, outrunning its competitors despite having been slammed by poor reviews. The Game Plan focuses on an egocentric star quarterback who faces his biggest challenge yet when he discovers that he has a 7-year-old daughter from a previous marriage.
New entry The Kingdom ranked in second this weekend, earning a solid $17.7 million from ticket sales at 2,793 locations. Helmed by Peter Berg, and starring Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner and Chris Cooper, the movie follows four elite FBI agents in their investigation of the bombing of an American housing compound in Saudi Arabia.
Last week's winner, Resident Evil: Extinction, slipped to No. 3, collecting $8 million and lifting its cumulative gross to $36.8 million after two weeks in theaters. The third installment in the series based on the popular Capcom videogame is $14 million short of surpassing the total gross of its predecessor, Resident Evil: Apocalypse.
Mark Helfrich's comedy Good Luck Chuck dropped from No. 2 to No. 4, taking home $6.3 million from 2,612 locations and reaching a total haul of $23.6 million after a passable two-week run.
Down one spot from No. 4 to No. 5, James Mangold's Western 3:10 to Yuma picked up $4.2 million this weekend, lifting its cumulative gross to $43.9 million after four weeks. Starring Christian Bale and Russell Crowe, the movie follows a troubled rancher on his quest to put a ruthless criminal on a train heading to a high-security prison.
Next weekend, three wide releases will compete for the top spot at the box office.
Peter and Bobby Farrelly return with The Heartbreak Kid (above), a remake of a 1972 Charles Grodin-Cybill Shepherd romantic comedy about a newlywed who discovers that his marriage causes him more agony than happiness. The film stars Ben Stiller, Malin Akerman, and Michelle Monaghan, and is scheduled to hit 3,000 theatres.
In The Seeker: The Dark Is Rising, a teenager discovers that he is the last of a group of immortals chosen to battle the forces of darkness. Directed by David L. Cunningham, the adventure tale is based on Susan Cooper's acclaimed novel.
Also set to open is Feel the Noise, a musical drama about a Harlem rapper who, after fleeing to Puerto Rico, finds his peace with Reggaeton, a musical genre mixing reggae and Latin American beats. Omarion Grandberry stars, while Jennifer Lopez acted as the film's producer.
Source: Box Office Mojo (www.boxofficemojo.com)
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