“Cloverfield” destroyed its competition at the North American box office this weekend with an estimated US$41 million.

Paramount’s monster movie directed by Matt Reeves and produced by J.J. Abrams soared past the $35 million record opening of the rerelease of “Star Wars” in 1997. The film focuses on a small group of friends trying to escape Manhattan while a massive creature rips through the city.

New entry “27 Dresses” ranked in second this weekend, pulling in $22.4 million from ticket sales at 3,057 locations. The Anne Fletcher-directed romantic comedy stars Katherine Heigl as a passionate bridesmaid who’s asked to arrange her sister’s wedding to the man she’s secretly in love with.

Last week’s winner “The Bucket List” dropped to No.3, earning $15.2 million. The Warner Bros. release directed by Rob Reiner lifted its domestic total to $42.7 million after four weeks on release. Starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman, the film follows the adventures of two terminally ill cancer patients who flee the hospital to go chase their dreams and make up with the past.

Meanwhile, Jason Reitman’s surprise hit “Juno” tumbled to No. 4, collecting $10.3 million and reaching a cumulative gross of $85.4 million after a strong seven-week run. Released by Fox Searchlight, the film stars Ellen Page as a pregnant 15-year-old who decides to give her baby up for adoption. “Juno” failed to pick up any Golden Globes past weekend, but its expansion into 2,534 theatres two weeks ago considerably boosted the film’s admissions.

Down one spot to No. 5, Walt Disney’s “National Treasure: Book of Secrets” picked up $8.1 million this weekend, lifting its total haul to $198 million after five weeks in release. Directed by Jon Turteltaub and starring Nicholas Cage, the sequel to the 2004 smash hit “National Treasure” continues the adventures of treasure hunter Benjamin Gates, who travels the globe to discover the truth behind the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.

 Ice Cube’s latest family comedy “First Sunday” slipped to No. 6, earning $7.8 million. The David E. Talbert-directed film raised its domestic total to $28.4 million after only two weeks in theatres.

New entry “Mad Money” ranked in seventh with a weekend gross of $7.7 million, while Tim Hill’s “Alvin and the Chipmunks” closely followed at No. 8 with $7 million. The live-action family film based on the popular 1980s cartoon series continues to be a tremendous success at the box office, reaching a total gross of $196 million after a strong six-week run.

Two films rounded out the top ten: Francis Lawrence’s post-apocalyptic thriller “I Am Legend” with $5.1 million, and Joe Wright’s “Atonement” with $4.7 million.

This has been an incredibly strong January weekend, with the top three films pulling in a combined $78.5 million. “Cloverfield” became the first big box office hit of 2008, leaving experts guessing on how it will perform against Sylvester Stallone’s “Rambo,” scheduled to open this Friday.

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