Box Office: ‘Hannah Montana’ delivers solid $34M

Weekend of April 10 – 12, 2009

Walt Disney’s “Hannah Montana: The Movie” soared to the top of the North American box office this weekend with $34 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Directed by Peter Chelsom, the film is based on Disney’s popular television series and stars Miley Cyrus as an energetic teenager who gets to reexamine her hectic double life as a famous pop star during a trip to her hometown.

Last week’s winner “Fast & Furious” collected another solid $28.7 million in second place, reaching a cumulative gross of $118 million after a strong two-week run. In the Justin Lin-directed action flick, Paul Walker and Vin Diesel team up to infiltrate the operations of a ruthless drug lord.

Meanwhile, DreamWorks Animation’s latest family adventure “Monsters vs. Aliens” dropped to No. 3, taking home $22.6 million and bringing its domestic total to $141 million. In the film, a group of eccentric monsters assist the U.S. government in battling a hostile alien planning to take over the world.

New entry “Observe and Report” finished at No. 4 with only $11.1 million. Jody Hill’s latest comedy stars Seth Rogen as a mall security guard who’ll stop at nothing to fulfill his dream and become a real cop. Anna Faris and Ray Liotta co-star.

At No. 5, Nicholas Cage’s sci-fi thriller “Knowing” picked up $6.6 million, lifting its total haul to $68 million. Following closely with $6.4 million at No. 6 was “I Love You, Man,” which brought its cume to $58.9 million after four weeks in release.

Peter Cornwell’s “The Haunting in Connecticut” slipped to No. 7 with a weekend gross of $5.7 million and a domestic total of $46.2 million. Starring Virginia Madsen, the Peter Cornwell-directed horror thriller follows a family experiencing supernatural events in their new home.

Debuting in eighth place was James Wong’s “Dragonball Evolution,” which delivered a disappointing opening with an estimated three-day gross of only $4.6 million. At No. 9, Greg Mottola’s “Adventureland” pulled $3.4 million for a total gross of $11.4 million.

Rounding out the top 10 was Tony Gilroy’s comedy “Duplicity,” which picked up $2.9 million and reached a cumulative gross of $36.8 million.

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