The Nazi thriller "Valkyrie," starring Tom Cruise as Col. Claus von Stauffenberg, one of a group of German military officers who plotted to kill Adolf Hitler, took in $14 million over the weekend for fourth place. That brings the total for the United Artists/MGM release to $60.7 million.
Although weekend box-office results for the top four films remained strong, ticket sales for all but "Bedtime Stories" dropped by about a third, a sign that the films are losing their hold among moviegoers, Gray said. Receipts for "Bedtime Stories" fell 26%.
Weekend box-office receipts totaled $150 million, up 7.6% from a year earlier, evidence that moviegoers are still flocking to the theaters even in tough financial times, said Paul Dergarabedian, president of Media by Numbers.
Rounding out the top five films for the weekend was "Yes Man," the Jim Carrey comedy from Warner Bros., which took in $13.9 million over the weekend for a domestic total of $79.4 million.
Among the most promising of the limited-release films was Clint Eastwood's "Gran Torino" from Warner Bros. The film brought in $2.8 million, even though it was in only 84 theaters nationwide. The movie earned nearly $33,600 per theater, an indication, Gray said, that the drama might be well-received by moviegoers when it enters wide release Friday.
"Defiance," which is based on a true story about brothers who fought the Nazis and rescued hundreds of Jews, opened in only two theaters -- but brought in $60,500 per theater.
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BOX OFFICE
Preliminary results in the U.S. and Canada, based on studio projections:
*--* Movie 3-day gross Total Weeks (studio) (millions) (millions)
1 Marley & Me $24.1 $106.5 2 (20th Century Fox)
2 Bedtime Stories (Walt Disney 20.3 85.4 2 Studios)
3 The Curious Case of Benjamin 18.4 79.0 2 Button (Paramount Pictures)
4 Valkyrie (United Artists/MGM) 14.0 60.7 2
5 Yes Man (Warner Bros.) 13.9 79.4 3
6 Seven Pounds (Sony/Columbia 10.0 60.0 3 Pictures)
7 The Tale of Despereaux (Universal 7.0 43.7 3 Pictures)
8 Doubt (Miramax) 5.0 18.7 4
9 The Day the Earth Stood Still 4.9 74.3 4 (20th Century Fox)
10 Slumdog Millionaire 4.8 28.8 8 (Fox Searchlight) *--*
Industry totals
*--* 3-day gross Change Year-to-date gross Change (in millions) from 2008 (in millions) from 2008 $150 +7.6% $208.6 +39.1% *--*
Source: Media by Numbers
