Weekend of May 15 – 17, 2009

Ron Howard’s “Angels & Demons” topped the North American box office with $48 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.

The latest big-screen adaptation of one of Dan Brown’s popular novels struggled to beat J.J. Abrams’ “Star Trek,” which came in close second with another $43 million this weekend. The sci-fi reboot’s domestic total currently stands at $147.6 million.

In “Angels,” Tom Hanks reprises his role as Robert Langdon, who heads to the Vatican to solve a murder and help prevent a ruthless terrorist attack. The film scored $29 million less during opening weekend than its predecessor, “The Da Vinci Code.”

At No. 3, Gavin Hood’s “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” collected $14.8 million, lifting its total haul to $151 million after three weeks in release. The film’s domestic gross already passed its estimated $150 million budget.

Meanwhile, Mark Waters’ latest romantic comedy “Ghosts of Girlfriends Past” dropped to fourth place with $6.8 million, lifting its cumulative gross to $40 million after a decent three-week run.

Following at No. 5 with a weekend gross of $4.5 million was “Obsessed,” which brought its cume to $62.5 million. In the thriller, Beyonce Knowles goes head to head with Ali Larter, who plays a temp stalking her beloved husband.

Zac Efron’s teen comedy “17 Again” took home another $3.4 million in sixth place, reaching a domestic total of $58.3 million. At No. 7, “Monsters vs. Aliens” picked up $3 million for a cumulative gross of $190.5 million.

At No. 8, Joe Wright’s drama “The Soloist” earned $2.4 million for a cume of $27.5 million. Robert Downey Jr. stars as a Los Angeles Times columnist who befriends a homeless man with a striking musical talent (Jamie Foxx).

Rounding out the top 10 were “Next Day Air,” which reached a domestic total of $7.6 million after weekend earnings of $2.2 million in ninth place, and “Earth,” which pulled $1.6 million for a $29 million total at No. 10.

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