Weekend of May 1 – May 3, 2009

“X-Men Origins: Wolverine” slashed its competition at the North American box office with a strong $87 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Released by 20th Century Fox, the Gavin Hood-directed action spectacle scored an average of $21,225 per theater at 4,099 locations.

Starring Hugh Jackman in the title role, the film follows Wolverine as he seeks revenge against the evil-minded Victor Creed (Live Schreiber) and William Stryker (Danny Huston).

Debuting in second place with $15.3 million was Mark Waters’ latest romantic comedy “Ghosts of Girlfriends Past,” which stars Matthew McConaughey as a celeb photographer who’s visited by three ghosts during the weekend of his brother’s wedding.

Last week’s box office champion “Obsessed” slipped to No. 3, pulling $12.2 million and reaching a domestic total of $47 million after two weeks in release. The thriller directed by Steve Shill stars Idris Elba, Ali Larter and Beyonce Knowles.

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Weekend of April 17 – 19, 2009

Zac Efron’s latest teenage comedy “17 Again” slashed its competition at the North American box office this weekend with $24 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Directed by Burr Steers, the film follows a 37-year-old man who despises his existence and gets to relive his past as a 17-year-old. Leslie Mann, Thomas Lennon and Michelle Trachtenberg co-star.

Debuting in second place with $14 million was Kevin Macdonald’s thriller “State of Play,” which stars Russell Crowe as a print journalist who launches his own investigation into the murder of a congressman’s assistant. Ben Affleck, Helen Mirren and Rachel McAdams round out the lead cast.

Things didn’t turned out as well for “Crank: High Voltage,” the week’s third wide release. The action sequel starring Jason Statham opened at No. 6 with only $6.5 million, which is about half the opening weekend gross of its predecessor.

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Zac Efron's latest teen comedy "17 Again" topped the North American box office Friday with an estimated $9.4 million in ticket sales. Directed by Burr Steers, the film follows a 37-year-old man who gets to relive his past as a 17-year-old.

Debuting at No. 2 with $4.5 million was Kevin Macdonald's latest thriller "State of Play," a thriller about a reporter who embarks on his own investigation into the murder of a congressman's assistant. Russell Crowe and Ben Affleck lead the cast.

Things didn't go as well for "Crank: High Voltage," which finished in sixth place with a daily gross of $2.6 million. Jason Statham returns as Chev Chelios, a man who's hunting down the gut who stole his heart and replaced it with a battery-powered ticker.

Last week's box office champion "Hannah Montana: The Movie" slipped to No. 3, collecting another $4 million for a domestic total of $47.8 million. Following in fifth place with $3.8 million was "Fast & Furious," which lifted its cumulative gross to $128.2 million.

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

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.

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Walt Disney's "Hannah Montana: The Movie" danced to the top of the North American box office Friday with an estimated $17.4 million in ticket sales.

The Peter Chelsom-directed adaptation of the ultra-popular television series follows Miley Stewart (Miley Cyrus) as she travels to her hometown to get a new perspective on life and reexamine her singing alter ego.

Last week's box office champ "Fast & Furious" slipped to No. 2, collecting $10.5 million for an impressive domestic total of $99.8 million after just one week in release. The film is already closing in on the $127 million total gross of "2 Fast 2 Furious," the second installment in the series.

Meanwhile, DreamWorks Animation's latest family adventure "Monsters vs. Aliens" picked up $9 million in third place, lifting its cumulative gross to $127.4 million. Seth Rogen's latest comedy "Observe and Report" followed at No. 4 with a daily gross of $4.7 million.

At No. 5, Nicholas Cage's sci-fi thriller "Knowing" took home another $2.3 million, bringing its total haul to a decent $63.7 million.

This week's third wide release, "Dragonball Evolution," didn't perform that well, earning only $2 million in eighth place.

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