Box Office: 'Meatballs' defeats 'Surrogates,' 'Fame'

Weekend of September 25 – 27, 2009: 'Meatballs' reigns as new releases struggle

Sony Pictures Animation’s “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs” topped the North American box office for the second consecutive weekend with a decent $24.6 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Scoring an average of $7,887 per theater at 3,119 locations, the animated adventure brought its domestic total to $60 million after a little more than one week in release. The film is playing in both 3D and standard format.

At No. 2, Jonathan Mostow’s “Surrogates” debuted with $15 million via an average of $5,083 per theater at 2,951 locations. In the film, Bruce Willis plays a cop investigating a murder in a world in which humans use surrogates to complete everyday tasks.

Following in third place with $10 million was “Fame,” the remake of the 1980 musical. Helmed by Kevin Tancharoen, the film follows a bunch of youngsters trying to make it big at a prestigious academy of performing arts.

Things didn’t turn out that well for “Pandorum,” this week’s third wide release. The sci-fi horror flick starring Dennis Quaid and Ben Foster only made it to No. 6 with a three-day gross of $4.4 million from ticket sales at 2,506 locations.

Meanwhile, Steven Soderbergh’s “The Informant!” finished fourth with $6.9 million, bringing its cume to $20.9 million after one week in release. Matt Damon stars as a white-collar guy helping the FBI expose his company’s price-fixing conspiracy.

Tyler Perry’s “I Can Do Bad All By Myself” took the No. 5 spot this weekend with $4.7 million, reaching a total haul of $44.5 million. At a close No. 7, “Love Happens” brought in $4.3 million for a $14.7 million total gross.

At the bottom of the top 10, “Jennifer’s Body” took home $3.5 million, enough for the eighth spot. Starring Megan Fox as a ruthless cannibal, the horror comedy lifted its cumulative gross to $12.3 million after a disappointing one-week run.

Following at No. 9 was Shane Acker’s animated tale “9,” which grabbed $2.8 million for a total of $27.1 million. At No. 10, Quentin Tarantino’s success drama “Inglourious Basterds” finished with $2.7 million for a cume of $114.4 million.

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