By Franck Tabouring
Weekend of October 3 – 5, 2008

Walt Disney Pictures’ family adventure “Beverly Hills Chihuahua” took an easy lead at the North American box office this weekend with $29 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Raja Gosnell’s film about a spoiled chihuahua ending up astray in Mexico had no problems taking over the No. 1 spot from last week’s box office winner “Eagle Eye,” which finished strong in second place.

D.J. Caruso’s action thriller starring Shia LaBeouf took home another $17.7 million, reaching a domestic total of $54.6 million after only two weeks in release. Released by DreamWorks, the film follows a slacker and a single mom who are framed as terrorists and forced to participate in a political assassination.

Debuting in third place with $12 million was Peter Sollett’s “Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist,” which stars Michael Cera and Kat Dennings as two young adults who spend an incredibly chaotic night together in New York City.

The remaining four wide releases this weekend failed to make it to the top of the chart. David Zucker’s satire “An American Carol” finished in ninth place with $3.8 million, followed by Bill Maher’s “Religulous” with $3.5 million at No. 10.

Universal’s drama “Flash of Genius,” about Robert Kearns’s battle to receive recognition for the invention of the intermittent windshield wiper, opened at No. 11 with only $2.3 million. Meanwhile, Ferando Meirelles’ drama “Blindness” ranked twelfth with a weekend gross of $2 million.

Simon Pegg’s latest comedy “How to Lose Friends & Alienate People” suffered the worst opening, scoring only $1.4 million at No. 19. Directed by Robert B. Weide, the film follows a British journalist’s journey to New York, where he’s offered a job at a respected magazine.

“Nights in Rodanthe” slipped to No. 4 this weekend, picking up $7.3 million and bringing its cumulative gross to $25 million after a solid two-week run. Following in fifth place was Ed Harris’ western “Appaloosa,” which earned $5 million.

At No. 6, Neil LaBute’s thriller “Lakeview Terrace” pulled in $4.5 million, lifting its total haul to $32.1 million after three weeks in release. Joel and Ethan Coen’s comedy “Burn After Reading” reached a total of $51.6 million in seventh place (thanks to weekend earnings of $4 million).

Last but not least, Alex Kendrick’s Christian-themed drama “Fireproof” took home another $4 million at No. 8, reaching a cumulative gross of $12.4 million after a two-week run. 

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