Weekend of November 20 – 22, 2009: ‘Twilight Saga: New Moon’ has come to rule them all!

“The Twilight Saga: New Moon” stormed to the top spot at the North American box office this weekend with a phenomenal $140.7 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.

The Chris Weitz-directed sequel to “Twilight” scored a huge average of $34,965 per theater at 4,024 locations, scoring the third highest opening of all time (following "The Dark Knight" and "Spider-Man 3").

“Moon” already broke records when it bagged $26.2 million from midnight screenings Friday. The sequel starring Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson outgrossed its predecessor by a solid $71.1 million.

At a distant No. 2, Sandra Bullock’s new drama “The Blind Side” also scored a surprising opening with $34.5 million. The film about a conservative mother who takes care of a homeless young man is playing at 3,110 locations.

Last week’s winner “2012” dropped to third place this weekend, earning another $26.5 million. Roland Emmerich’s apocalyptic action flick with John Cusack brought its total gross to $108.2 million after a little more than one week in release.

“Planet 51,” this weekend’s third wide release, finished fourth with $12.6 million from ticket sales at 3,035 locations. The animated adventure follows an astronaut who ends up getting trapped on an alien planet.

Meanwhile, Disney’s “A Christmas Carol” slipped to No. 5, pulling $12.2 million. Directed by Robert Zemeckis, the 3D motion-capture film reached a domestic total of $79.7 million.

Surprise indie hit “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” generated another $11 million in sixth place, bringing its early total gross to $21.4 million. “The Men Who Stare at Goats” followed with $2.7 million at No. 7 ($27.6 million total).

At the bottom of the top 10, “Couples Retreat” picked up $1.9 million for a cume of $105 million. Following in ninth place with $1.7 million was “The Fourth Kind,” which lifted its total haul to $23.3 million.

Finally, F. Gary Gray’s “Law Abiding Citizen” earned $1.6 million at No. 10, reaching a cumulative gross of $70 million.

Closing note: Together, the top 10 films at the North American box office generated a massive $245.4 million.

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