Weekend of March 27 – 29, 2009

“Monsters vs. Aliens” easily destroyed its competition at the North American box office this weekend with a whopping $58.2 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.

DreamWorks Animation’s latest 3D-animated family adventure follows a group of monsters assisting the U.S. government in trying to destroy a ruthless alien leader. The film’s voice cast includes Reese Witherspoon, Seth Rogen and Hugh Laurie.

Debuting at No. 2 this weekend with $23 million was Peter Cornwell’s horror thriller “The Haunting in Connecticut.” Starring Virginia Madsen, Kyle Gallner and Amanda Crew, the film follows a family experiencing supernatural events in their new home.

Last week’s winner “Knowing” dropped to third place, collecting $14.7 million and reaching a cumulative gross of $46.2 million after two weeks in release. The Alex Proyas-directed apocalyptic thriller stars Nicholas Cage as a professor struggling to prevent a series of global disasters.

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Weekend of March 20 – 22, 2009

“Knowing” emerged as the champion at the North American box office this weekend with $24.8 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Alex Proyas’ apocalyptic thriller celebrated the widest release this week at 3,332 locations, taking the No. 1 spot as early as Friday. In the film, Nicholas Cage tries to prevent a series of global disasters.

Debuting in second place was John Hamburg’s latest comedy “ I Love You, Man,” which picked up $18 million. Starring Paul Rudd and Jason Segel, the movie centers on a man who doesn’t have male buddies and heads out to find the perfect best man for his wedding.

“Duplicity,” the weekend’s third new release, finished third with $14.4 million. The Tony Gilroy-directed comedy stars Clive Owen and Julia Roberts as two spies teaming up to pull off the perfect corporate con.

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Alex Proyas' apocalyptic thriller "Knowing" took the No. 1 spot Friday at the North American box office with an estimated $8.9 million in ticket sales. The film follows Nicholas Cage as he tries to prevent a series of global disasters.

Debuting in second place was new entry "I Love You, Man," which collected $6.3 million. Starring Paul Rudd and Jason Segel, the comedy centers on a man who has no male friends and heads out to find a best man for his wedding.

Meanwhile, Tony Gilroy's "Duplicity" finished in third place with $4.7 million. In the comedy, Julia Roberts and Clive Owen star as two spies teaming up to pull off the perfect corporate con.

At No. 4, last week's box office champion "Race to Witch Mountain" collected another $3.8 million, lifting its domestic gross to $35.5 million after two weeks in release.

Following in fifth place with $2 million was Zack Snyder's "Watchmen," which brought its total haul to $93.3 million. "The Last House on the Left" reached a cumulative gross of $20 million at No. 6.

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

Weekend of March 13 - 15, 2009

"Race to Witch Mountain" defeated its competition at the North American box office this weekend with $24.4 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Directed by Andy Fickman, Walt Disney's latest family adventure stars Dwayne Johnson as a Las Vegas taxi driver helping two alien kids return to their spaceship. The film is based on the book by Alexander Key.

Last week's winner "Watchmen" dropped to No. 2, earning $17.8 million for a domestic total of $85.7 million. Based on the celebrated graphic novel by Alan Moore, the film tells the story of a group of superheroes investigating one of their colleagues' murder.

Debuting in third place this weekend with $14.1 million was "The Last House on the Left," a remake of Wes Craven's 1972 horror flick of the same title. The plot follows two parents seeking revenge against a group of sociopaths who raped their daughter.

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"Race to Witch Mountain" outran its competition at the North American box office Friday with an estimated $6.7 million in ticket sales.

Walt Disney's family adventure had the widest release this weekend, opening at 3,187 locations. Starring Dwayne Johnson, the movie follows a Las Vegas cab driver who picks up two alien kids trying to get back to their spaceship.

Debuting at No. 2 with $5.5 million was "The Last House on the Left," a horror remake about two parents who seek bloody revenge on a bunch of sociopaths who raped their daughter.

Slipping to third place Friday was last week's winner "Watchmen," bringing in $5.4 million and reaching a total of $73.3 million.

Meanwhile, Pierre Morel's "Taken" collected $2 million at No. 4, reaching a cumulative gross of $122.2 million. Following in fifth place was Tyler Perry's "Madea Goes to Jail" with a daily gross of $1.4 million and a total of $79.5 million.

This week's third wide release, "Miss March," only made it to No. 8 with an estimated $890,000.

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