By Franck Tabouring
Weekend of December 26 – 28, 2008

David Frankel’s family comedy “Marley & Me” raced to the top of the North American box office this weekend with $37 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Starring Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston as a couple struggling to keep their dog in check, the film lifted its domestic total to an impressive $51.6 million after only four days in release.

At No. 2, Adam Sandler’s latest comedy “Bedtime Stories” took home $28 million, reaching a cumulative gross of $38.5 million. The Adam Shankman-directed adventure follows a hotel handyman whose bedtime stories come true the next day.

Meanwhile, David Fincher’s acclaimed drama “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” collected $27 million in third place, lifting its total gross to $39 million after a strong four-day run. In the film, Brad Pitt stars as a man who ages backwards.

Following at No. 4 with $21.5 million was Bryan Singer’s latest WWII drama “Valkyrie,” which brought its cumulative gross to $30 million. Starring Tom Cruise, the film follows a group of soldiers plotting the assassination of Hitler.

The only wide release not to reach the top five this weekend was Frank Miller’s “The Spirit,” which picked up a disappointing $6.5 million at 2,509 locations. Based on the comic book series by Will Eisner, the film stars Gabriel Macht as a rookie cop battling crime in central city.

Still going strong at No. 5 was Jim Carrey’s comedy “Yes Man,” which reached a total haul of $49.5 million and this weekend’s earnings of $16.4 million. Following in sixth place was Will Smith’s drama “Seven Pounds,” which earned $13.4 million for a $39 million cumulative gross.

In the bottom part of the 10 highest-grossing films this weekend were “The Tale of Despereaux,” which took $9.3 million in seventh place ($27.9 million cumulative gross), and “The Day The Earth Stood Still,” which finished at No. 8 with a weekend gross of $7.9 million ($63.6 million total).

Rounding out the top 10 was “Doubt,” which pulled $5.6 million for a domestic total of $8.8 million.

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