Weekend of July 31 – August 2, 2009: “Funny People” opens strong, “Potter” close behind

Judd Apatow’s latest comedy “Funny People” jumped to the top of the North American box office this weekend with $23.4 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.

The R-rated film, which received mixed reviews, scored an average of $7,793 per theater at 3,008 locations. Starring Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen and Leslie Mann, “People” follows the adventures of a stand-up comedian who's having a near-death experience.

“Aliens in the Attic,” this weekend’s second wide release, only made it to No. 5 with a three-day gross of $7.8 million, despite a run at 3,106 locations. The film follows a family’s battle against alien intruders in their vacation home.

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Weekend of July 24 – 26, 2009

Walt Disney’s 3D-animated family flick “G-Force” topped the North American box office with $32.1 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.

The Jerry Bruckheimer-produced film follows a squad of smart guinea pigs trying to stop a ruthless villain from taking over the world. The film grabbed an average of $8,697 per theater at 3,697 locations.

Last week’s winner “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” collected another $30 million in second place, reaching a total gross of $221.8 million after an excellent one-week run.

New entry “The Ugly Truth” debuted in third place with a weekend gross of $27 million from ticket sales at 2,882 locations. Starring Katherine Heigl and Gerard Butler, the film centers on a TV producer struggling to control the cocky host of one of her shows.

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David Yates' "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" stormed to the top of the North American box office this weekend with a solid $79.4 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Since its opening Wednesday, the sixth installment in the popular series has collected a stunning $159.6 million at 4,325 locations. Daniel Radcliffe returns as Harry Potter, who explores the dark past of Voldemort while the forces of the Dark Lord create further terror at Hogwarts and in the world of muggles.

At a distant No. 2, "Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs" picked up $17.7 million, reaching a domestic total of $152 million after three weeks in advance. Following in third place with $13.7 million was "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen," which brought its total haul to $363.8 million.

Last week's box office winner "Brüno" slipped to fourth place, earning $8.3 million for a cumulative gross of $49.8 million. The Larry Charles-directed comedy stars Sacha Baron Cohen as a gay Austrian fashionista trying to become a star in the U.S.

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Weekend of July 10 – 12, 2009

Sacha Baron Cohen’s “Brüno” jumped to the top spot at the North American box with a solid $30.4 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.

The Larry Charles-directed comedy debuted at 2,756 locations Friday, beating the opening weekend gross of “Borat” by $4 million. In the film, Cohen plays a gay Austrian fashionista heading to Los Angeles to become the world’s greatest star.

Meanwhile, this week’s second wide release, “I Love You, Beth Cooper,” debuted at No. 7 with only $5 million. Directed by Chris Columbus, the comedy stars Hayden Panettiere as a hot high school grad showing a nerd (Paul Rust) the time of his life.

At No. 2, “Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs” collected another $28.5 million, lifting its domestic total to $120.5 million after a successful two-week run.

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