By Franck Tabouring
Weekend of October 24 – 26

Walt Disney’s “High School Musical 3: Senior Year” took center stage at the North American box office this weekend with an impressive $42 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.

The third installment in the popular series opened at 3,623 locations Friday, easily dominating its competition all weekend long. Starring Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens, the musical follows Troy and his gang as they gear up to graduate from high school and prep for college.

Debuting in second place with $30.5 million was David Hackl’s horror sequel “Saw V,” which almost matched its predecessor’s opening weekend gross of $31.7 million. The blood-laden film follows a detective who tries to uncover the identity of the late Jigsaw’s ruthless successor.

At No. 3, John Moore’s video game adaptation “Max Payne” collected $7.6 million, lifting its domestic total to $29.6 million. Starring Mark Wahlberg, the film follows a grieving detective who struggles to hunt down those responsible for the murder of his family.

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By Franck Tabouring
Weekend of October 17 – 19, 2008

“Max Payne” topped the North American box office this weekend with $18 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Directed by John Moore, the PG-13 rated film based on the popular video game easily dominated its competition by gaining an early lead Friday. Starring Mark Wahlberg, the film follows a grieving detective who has made it his mission to avenge those responsible for his family’s murders.

Still going strong at No. 2 was last week’s box office champion “Beverly Hills Chihuahua,” which collected $11.2 million to bring its domestic total to $69 million after three weeks in theaters. Walt Disney’s family adventure directed by Raja Gosnell centers on a spoiled dog ending up astray in the middle of Mexico.

Debuting in third place with $11 million this weekend was Gina Prince-Bythewood’s adaptation of “The Secret Life of Bees,” the dramatic story of a young girl finding new hope and love inside the house of an African-American family of beekeepers. Dakota Fanning, Queen Latifah, Jennifer Hudson and Alicia Keys star.

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By Franck Tabouring
Weekend of October 10 – 12

“Beverly Hills Chihuahua” clung to the top spot at the North American box office this weekend with $17.5 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Walt Disney’s family adventure outran its competition by gaining momentum Saturday, lifting its domestic total to $52.5 million after two weeks in release. Directed by Raja Gosnell, the story centers on a spoiled chihuahua ending up astray in Mexico.

Debuting in second place with $14.2 million was Screen Gems’ horror remake “Quarantine,” which follows a group of people struggling to survive a night in a quarantined building.  

Following closely at No. 3 was Ridley Scott’s thriller “Body of Lies,” which collected $13.1 million at 2,710 locations. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe, the film follows two CIA agents on their quest to hunt down an international terrorist.

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John Erick Dowdle’s “Quarantine” topped the North American box office Friday with an estimated $5.3 million in ticket sales. It was an easy win for the horror remake, which debuted at 2,461 locations this weekend.

Following in second place was last weekend’s champion “Beverly Hills Chihuahua,” which took home another $4.5 million to reach a domestic total of $39.5 million after one week in release.

At No. 3, new entry “Body of Lies” collected $4.3 million. Directed by Ridley Scott, the film stars Russell Crowe and Leonardo DiCaprio as two CIA agents struggling to locate a terrorist.

The remaining wide releases of the weekend had troubles competing against existing box office players. “The Express” debuted in sixth place with $1.5 million, while Gil Kenan’s family adventure “City of Ember” only made it to No. 11 with a disappointing $950,000.

Still going strong was D.J. Caruso’s action thriller “Eagle Eye,” which ranked fourth with a Friday gross of $3.2 million. Following at No. 5 was “Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist” with $2.1 million.

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