Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer stormed to the top of the North American box office this weekend with an estimated US$57.4 million.
The sequel to the successful Fantastic Four opened at 3,959 sites last Friday, and managed to top the $56 million opening weekend set by its predecessor in 2005.
Last week's winner, Ocean's Thirteen, dropped to the No. 2 spot this weekend, snatching $19.1 million and reaching a cumulative gross of $69.8 million after only two weeks.
Meanwhile, Judd Apatow's latest comedy Knocked Up maintained its No. 3 spot, earning $14.5 million in ticket sales. After three weeks in theatres, its total haul rose to $90.5 million.
After a successful run within the top three slots at the box office, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End sailed to the No. 4 spot this week, scoring $12 million from 3,329 sites. The third installment in the popular series directed by Gore Verbinski reached a total gross of $273.8 million.
Down from No. 4 to No. 5, Sony's animated comedy Surf's Up pulled in $9.3 million this weekend, lifting its cumulative gross to $34.7 million after two weeks.
Despite opening at 2,612 sites, Nancy Drew did not make it into the top five. DOA: Dead or Alive shared the similar fate, although it opened at only 505 theaters.
This upcoming weekend, four major releases will vie for the top spot at the box office.
One of them is 1408, a horror thriller starring John Cusack as a novelist whose world is turned upside down after he checks into a haunted hotel suite. 1408 is based on a short story by Stephen King and should perform well at the box office, though it will face some tough competition.
The movie with the widest release next week is Evan Almighty, sequel to the ultra-popular Bruce Almighty. With Jim Carrey gone, Steve Carell takes over as a U.S. congressman asked by God to build an ark.
Also opening on Friday are A Mighty Heart, a political drama directed by Michael Winterbottom and starring Angelina Jolie, and You Kill Me, a gangster comedy starring Ben Kingsley and Tea Leoni.
Source: Box Office Mojo (boxofficemojo.com)