Box Office: 'District 9' scores big with $37M

Weekend of August 14 – 16, 2009: Alien spectacle defeats time travel romance

Neill Blomkamp’s sci-fi action spectacle “District 9” flew past its competition to the top spot at the North American box office this weekend with $37 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Pulling strong reviews, the Peter Jackson-produced film scored a solid average of $12,135 per theater at 3,049 locations. “District 9” is set in a world where unwelcomed aliens are living as refugees in slump-like conditions on Earth.

“The Time Traveler’s Wife,” the weekend’s second widest release, only made it to second place with a gross of $19.2 million. Playing at 2,988 locations, Robert Schwentke’s romance follows the relationship between a woman (Rachel McAdams) and a man (Eric Bana) who involuntarily travels through time.

New entry “The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard” took the No. 6 spot, earning $5.3 million. Produced by Will Ferrell and starring Jeremy Piven, the comedy follows the adventures of a skilled salesman who tries to save a car dealership from bankruptcy.

The release with the most disappointing performance this weekend was Todd Graff’s “Bandslam,” which only made it to No. 13 with a three-day gross of $2.2 million from ticket sales at 2,121 locations. Even “Ponyo,” which opened at only 927 locations, finished higher with a gross of $3.5 million in ninth place.

Meanwhile, last week’s winner “G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra” delivered another solid box office performance, collecting $22.5 million for a domestic total of $98.7 million after a little more than one week in release.

Nora Ephron’s comedy “Julie & Julia” slipped to No. 4, taking home $12.4 million for a total haul of $43.6 million. Following in fifth place with $6.9 million was “G-Force,” which brought its cume to $99 million after a four-week run.

Warner’s “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” picked up $5.1 million at No. 7, reaching a domestic total of $283.8 million. Robert Luketic’s comedy “The Ugly Truth” followed in eighth place, pulling $4.5 million for a total haul of $77.5 million.

Finally, Fox’s indie comedy “(500) Days of Summer” took the No. 10 spot with weekend earnings of $3 million and a total gross of $17.9 million.

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