By Franck Tabouring
Weekend of September 26 – 28, 2008

D.J. Caruso’s action blockbuster “Eagle Eye” stormed to the top of the North American box office this weekend with $29.2 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.

DreamWorks’ Shia LaBeouf vehicle easily knocked out its competition after opening in 3,510 theaters and securing the top spot early on Friday. Co-starring Michelle Monaghan, the flick centers on a slacker and a single mother who are framed as terrorists and forced to participate in a major political assassination.

Debuting in second place with $13.5 million was George C. Wolfe’s romance drama “Nights in Rodanthe.” Based on the acclaimed novel by Nicholas Sparks and starring Richard Gere and Diane Lane, the movie follows two single parents who fall in love during a stormy weekend at an old beachside inn.  

Last weekend’s box office winner “Lakeview Terrace” dropped to No. 3, earning $7 million and lifting its cumulative gross to $25.7 million after two weeks in release. Directed by Neil LaBute, Sony’s thriller follows a racist cop (Samuel L. Jackson) who tries everything in his power to get his new neighbors to move out again.

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By Franck Tabouring
Weekend of September 12 – 14, 2008

Joel and Ethan Coen’s “Burn After Reading” beat Tyler Perry at the North American box office this weekend with $19.4 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Starring George Clooney, Frances McDormand, Brad Pitt and John Malkovich, the crime comedy delivered the best opening ever for a Coen brothers film, surpassing the $12.6 million earned by “The Ladykillers” in 2004.

Tyler Perry’s “The Family That Preys debuted in second place with $18 million, which is less than the opening weekend grosses of his previous films “Meet the Browns” ($20 million) and “Why Did I Get Married?” ($21.3 million).

Meanwhile, Jon Avnet’s crime drama “Righteous Kill” opened at No. 3 with $16.5 million. Starring Robert De Niro and Al Pacino, the film follows two veteran NYPD detectives struggling to hunt down a mysterious serial killer.

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