The 'Wild Things' rule the box office Friday

"Where the Wild Things Are" scores big while "Paranormal Activity" surprises even more!

Spike Jonze's big-screen adaptation of Maurice Sendak's book "Where the Wild Things Are" stormed to the top of the North American box office Friday with a solid $11.9 million in ticket sales at 3,735 locations.

The film starring Max Records as a lonely boy escaping into his imagination delivered a superb start, and I'm glad it did. It's a truly wonderful adaptation I can only recommend you see if you haven't already.

Debuting in second place was F. Gary Gray's new thriller "Law Abiding Citizen," which scored a decent $7.7 million from ticket sales at 2,889 locations. Gerard Butler stars as a desperate widower who threatens to bring down the entire U.S. justice system.

Surprise hit "Paranormal Activity" continued to fill up screening rooms across North America, taking home a stunning $6.6 million ($20 million total) after expanding to 760 locations. That's still a fantastic result for the low-budget horror flick produced for less than $15,000. Wow!

Universal's comedy "Couples Retreat" finished fourth Friday with a daily gross of $5.8 million, lifting its domestic total to $51.2 million. That's not a bad result for the film starring Vince Vaughn.

Also opening this weekend was "The Stepfather," a lame horror remake that picked up $4.3 million at No. 5. Dylan Walsh plays a ruhtless killer who pretends to be nice but ends up killing the familes he lives with.

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