Many people out there are watching "Watchmen," because Zack Snyder's adaptation of the graphic novel scored $25.1 million Friday at the North American box office.

Then again, that's about $3 million less than the opening Friday gross of Snyder's previous flick "300," which opened Match 9, 2007 at 3,103 locations. In comparison, "Watchmen" debuted at 3,611 locations.

At No. 2, Tyler Perry's "Mades Goes to Jail" brought in $2.5 million, lifting its domestic total to $70.2 million. Following in third place was "Taken," which reached a cumulative gross of $112.9 million after Friday's earnings of $2.3 million.

Meanwhile, Danny Boyle's "Slumdog Millionaire" earned another $1.9 million, bringing its total to $120.4 million. The Ken Kwapis-directed comedy "He's Just Not That Into You" finished fifth with a daily gross of $1.3 million and a total haul of $81.9 million.

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

Weekend of February 27 – March 1, 2009

Tyler Perry’s “Madea Goes to Jail” topped the North American box office for the second consecutive weekend with $16.5 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.

The latest installment in the popular “Madea” series regained momentum Saturday and Sunday after briefly losing its No. 1 spot to new entry “Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience” on Friday. The film’s total currently stands at $64.8 million.

At No. 2, the Bruce Hendricks-directed concert film “Jonas Brothers” collected $12 million. The 3D musical event follows the popular band on its Burning Up tour and offers fans a glimpse at how the boys spend their time offstage.

Meanwhile, Danny Boyle’s Oscar-winning drama “Slumdog Millionaire” climbed to No. 3 after expanding into 2,943 theaters, collecting $12.1 million and reaching a total haul of $115.1 million after 16 weeks in release.

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Bruce Hendricks' concert movie "Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience" topped the North American box office Friday with an estimated $4.8 million in ticket sales.

Playing in 3D, the film follows the popular band on their Burning Up tour. The formula already proved successful for last year's "Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour," which grossed $65.2 million.

Last week's winner "Madea Goes to Jail" dropped to No. 2, earning $4.6 million and reaching a domestic total of $52.9 million. Finishing third was "Slumdog Millionaire," which brought its cumulative gross to $106.1 million after Friday's gross of $3.2 million.

Meanwhile, Pierre Morel's thriller "Taken" took home $2.8 million Friday, lifting its total haul to $100.7 million. At No. 5, Ken Kwapis' comedy "He's Just Not That Into You" earned $1.9 million for a cumulative gross of $74.5 million.

The weekend's only other wide release, "Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li," only made it to sixth place with $1.7 million in ticket sales.

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

Award-winning film passes $100 million mark

"Slumdog Millionaire" has scored a box office boost after winning eight Academy Awards and expanding into 2,244 theaters last weekend.

Danny Boyle's acclaimed drama passed the $100 million mark Tuesday after a strong performance at the North American box office. The film delivered a daily gross of $1.2 million, up from only $645,971 on the same day a week ago.

Wednesday proved to be yet another good day for "Slumdog," which took home $1 million and reached a total gross of $101.8 million.

Things are looking even brighter for the surprise hit this weekend when it expands into 2,943 locations. Its big win at the Oscars last Sunday may help attract more audiences interested to see what the film's critical acclaim is all about.

Additionally, "Slumdog Millionaire" doesn't really face any new competition. The only two new releases to open Friday are "Jones Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience" (targeting a different audience) and "Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li."

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

Weekend of February 20 -22, 2009

Tyler Perry's "Madea Goes to Jail" took over the North American box office this weekend with $41.1 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Not only did the latest installment in Perry's popular series completely dominate its competition, but the film also managed to beat the $30 million opening weekend gross of 2006's "Madea's Family Reunion." This time around, Madea goes to prison, where she quickly befriends and inspires a troubled prostitute.

Still delivering a strong performance in second place this weekend was Pierre Morel's thriller "Taken," which collected $11.4 million and brought its total haul to $95.1 million after a solid four-week run. Liam Neeson stars as a protective father who stops at nothing to find his kidnapped daughter.

Climbing back up to No. 3 was Henry Selick's 3D stop-motion adventure "Coraline," which earned another $11 million for a domestic total of $53.3 million after three weeks in release.

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Weekend of February 13 – 15, 2009

“Friday the 13th” slashed its competition at the top of the North American box office with a whopping $42.2 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Marcus Nispel’s remake of the 1980 horror flick follows Jason Voorhees as he brutally murders everyone daring to enter his territory at Camp Crystal Lake. The film was produced on a $19 million budget.

Things didn’t look that great for this weekend’s two other wide releases. P.J. Hogan’s “Confessions of a Shopaholic” debuted only at No. 4, pulling in $15.4 million. Based on the books by Sophie Kinsella, the film follows Isla Fisher as a journalist struggling to get control of her debt.

Meanwhile, Tom Tykwer’s thriller “The International” finished in seventh place, collecting only $10 million. Starring Clive Owen and Naomi Watts, the movie focuses on an Interpol agent and a NY district attorney trying to bring down a corrupt bank.

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