Box Office: 'Princess and the Frog' reigns

Weekend of December 11 – 13, 2009: 'The Blind Side' finally defeated by 'Princess'

Walt Disney’s 2D-animated adventure “The Princess and the Frog” took the North American box office by storm this weekend with a solid $25 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Disney’s anticipated return to hand-drawn animation expanded to 3,434 locations Friday, earning a weekend average of $7,280 per theater. The film’s total gross currently stands at $27.8 million.

Sandra Bullock’s surprise hit “The Blind Side” slipped to No. 2, taking home another $15.4 million. The story about a family helping out a poor football hopeful reached a domestic total of $150.2 million.

New entry “Invictus” finished third this weekend with $9 million from ticket sales at 2,125 locations. The Clint Eastwood-directed sports drama stars Morgan Freeman as Nelson Mandela, who tried to reunite his country through rugby.

Meanwhile, Chris Weitz’s “The Twilight Saga: New Moon” dropped to No. 4, generating $8 million. Starring Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner, the film lifted its cume to an impressive $267.3 million.

At No. 5, Disney’s “A Christmas Carol” picked up another $6.8 million, which brings its total gross to $124.4 million. Following in sixth place with $5 million was Jim Sheridan’s “Brothers,” which reached a cumulative gross of $17.4 million.

Roland Emmerich’s apocalyptic action flick “2012” bagged $4.4 million this weekend, enough for seventh place. Domestically, the film with John Cusack has earned $155.3 million since its release five weeks ago.

Disney’s third top 10 film “Old Dogs” pulled $4.3 million at No. 8, reaching a domestic total of $39.9 million. Following in ninth place with $3.5 million was “Armored,” which reached a cume of $11.7 million.

Finally, Warner’s “Ninja Assassin” earned $2.7 million at No. 10. The action spectacle by James McTeigue brought its domestic total gross to $34.3 million.

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