By Franck Tabouring
Weekend of September 19 – 21, 2008

“Lakeview Terrace” topped the North American box office this weekend with $15.6 million in ticket sales, according to Studio estimates Sunday.

Neil LaBute’s thriller won an easy fight against its competition in what was a relatively quite weekend at the movies. Starring Samuel L. Jackson, the film follows a ruthless cop who launches into a turbulent feud with his new neighbors (Patrick Wilson and Kerry Washington).

Meanwhile, last week’s box office champion “Burn After Reading” dropped to No. 2, earning $11.2 million and reaching a domestic total of $36.4 million after two weeks in release. Helmed by Joel and Ethan Coen, the comedy stars Brad Pitt and Frances McDormand as two gym teachers who try to sell classified CIA documents.

Opening in third place with $8.3 million was Howard Deutch’s latest comedy “My Best Friend’s Girl,” in which Dane Cook takes women on horrible dates to make them appreciate their ex-boyfriends. Jason Biggs and Kate Hudson co-star.

Following closely at No. 4 was Anthony Leondis’ animated feature “Igor,” which pulled in $8 million. Featuring the voices of John Cusack, Steve Buscemi and Molly Shannon, the movie follows a hunchbacked servant who dreams of becoming an evil scientist and winning the annual Evil Science Fair.

Jon Avnet’s crime drama “Righteous Kill” dropped three spots and finished at No. 5, taking home $7.7 million. Starring Robert De Niro and Al Pacino as two NYPD detectives hunting down a serial killer, the film lifted its cumulative gross to $28.8 million after a mediocre two-week run.

Tyler Perry suffered a more serious blow as his “The Family That Preys” slipped to seventh place with a weekend gross of $7.5 million. The Lionsgate release brought its domestic total to $28.3 million. At No. 7, Diane English’s comedy “The Women” collected $5.3 million to reach a total haul of $19.2 million after two weeks in release.  

Debuting at No. 8 was David Koepp’s comedy “Ghost Town,” which collected $5.1 million. Ricky Gervais stars as a self-centered dentist who helps a ghost (Greg Kinnear) interrupt his ex-wife’s new marriage.

Two films rounded out the top 10 this weekend: Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight” with $2.9 million at No. 9 ($521.9 million total gross), and Sony’s Anna Faris vehicle “The House Bunny,” which ranked tenth with $2.8 million. 

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