It looks like Disney has another family hit with "Beverly Hills Chihuahua" barking up to the top spot on the weekend box office with an estimated $29 million.
"Chihuahua" played in 3,215 theaters and managed to take the top spot in a month that is normally reserved for the gore fans of horror films. The film gave Disney its best opening ever for an October flick.
In its second weekend of release, DreamWorks/Paramount thriller "Eagle Eye" dropped to the No. 2 spot on the weekend box office. The film earned an estimated $17.7 million during the weekend and has made $54.6 million in its first 10-days of release.
"Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist" got off to a good start with an estimated $12 million from 2,421 screens. The film stars Michael Cera and Kat Dennings, and managed to take the No. 3 spot on the weekend box office.
Although the movie came in lower than expected, it only cost $13 million to bring to the screen, according to Sony.
In Variety, Sony prexy of distribution Rory Bruer stated: "It’s a very good start for a movie that both critics and audiences really loved."
Warners/Village Roadshow romance flick "Nights in Rodanthe" dropped 45%, but managed to take the No. 4 spot on the weekend box office with an estimated $7.3 million. The film, which stars Diane Lane and Richard Gere, has earned $25 million since its release.
Warner Bros./New Line’s western tale "Appaloosa" shot its way to the No. 5 spot on the weekend box office after it was expanded nationwide following a two-week limited run.
The film stars Viggo Mortensen, Renee Zellweger and Ed Harris (who also directed), and earned an estimated $5 million from 1,045 screens.
Sony's thriller “Lakeview Terrace” with Samuel L. Jackson took the No. 6 spot on the weekend box office with an estimated $4.5 million from 2,574 screens. Focus' comedy “Burn After Reading” claimed the No. 7 spot on the weekend box office with an estimated $4 million from 2,397 screens.
The Christian-themed "Fireproof" dropped to the No. 8 spot on the weekend box office with an estimated $4 million from 852 screens. The Samuel Goldwyn Films drama has earned $12.5 million since its release.
"An American Carol," which takes a swing at Michael Moore and leftist politics, made the No. 9 spot on the weekend box office with an estimated $3.8 million from 1,639 screens.
Lionsgate’s documentary "Religulous” with Bill Maher got off to an impressive start with an estimated $3.5 million. The film was directed by Larry Charles and is expected to open in 100 additional markets on Friday.
In Variety, Lionsgate distribution head Steve Rothenberg stated: "These are tremendous grosses for a documentary, and we will continue to expand this coming weekend."
The specialty film "Rachel Getting Married" from Sony Pictures Classics got off to good start in nine theaters in New York and Los Angeles with a per-screen average of $33,659. It earned an estimated $302,934.
Although it was a good weekend to be a dog, several other wide releases failed to even reach the top 10.
The Spyglass/Universal drama "Flash of Genius" took in an estimated $2.3 million from 1,098 runs. Miramax’s "Blindness" earned an estimated $2 million from 1,690 screens. The Autonomous Films/MGM comedy "How to Lose Friends & Alienate People" opened with an estimated $1.4 million from 1,750 screens.
Universal and MGM are both just distributors of "Flash of Genius" (with Greg Kinnear) and "How to Lose Friends" (with Kirsten Dunst, Simon Pegg and Megan Fox).
Miramax was reportedly disappointed with the debut of "Blindness" - which stars Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo and Gael Garcia Bernal and directed by Fernando Meirelles.
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