'Beverly Hills Chihuahua' No. 1 at box office
The Disney film did better than expected, earning $29 million and knocking 'Eagle Eye' into second place.
A cast of diminutive dogs took a big bite out of the box office this weekend as "Beverly Hills Chihuahua" debuted with a top-grossing $29 million.
Disney's pooch picture fared better-than-expected and toppled "Eagle Eye," a DreamWorks/Paramount thriller, which fell to No. 2 in its second week in theaters. The live-action animal comedy, featuring the voices of Drew Barrymore and George Lopez, was expected to gross $20 million to $25 million for its opening weekend but registered the best October debut of any Disney picture.
"To be short of $30 million, we're ecstatic," said Chuck Viane, president of domestic distribution for Disney. "We don't think we could have done any better with a market that had seven movies opening."
It was one of the more crowded weekends for film debuts and lead to a surge in moviegoers. The weekend gross for the top 12 movies totaled $95.4 million, up 40% from the same weekend a year ago, according to the box-office-tracking firm Media by Numbers.
"It was a terrific weekend that the industry needed desperately," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of Media by Numbers in Encino. "Lot of newcomers performed solidly."
The Sony/Screen Gems movie "Nick & Nora's Infinite Playlist," which opened in 2,421 theaters, came in third with a gross of $12 million. "It was a great return" for a $13 million film, Dergaradebian said.
