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.

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The badass marketing campaign and awesome reviews for "District 9" really worked, because Neill Blomkamp's excellent sci-fi thriller landed at the top spot at the North American box office Friday with an estimated $14.2 million. That's not a bad launch for the film.

Playing at 3,049 locations, "District 9" is set in a world where aliens are living as refugees on Earth in slump-like conditions. The Peter Jackson-produced action film doesn't have any big names attached to it, but glorious reviews and a lot of buzz gave it the necessary boost to storm the box office.

Also opening this weekend is Robert Schwentke's romance "The Time Traveler's Wife," which debuted at No. 2 Friday with a daily gross of $7.7 million. Starring Rachel McAdams and Eric Bana, the film follows a man who involuntarily travels through time and tries to maintain a romantic relationship with a woman.

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