With seven new films opening in wide release this weekend, it was inevitable that the top 10 would see a bit of a shake-up–but really, Beverly Hills Chihuahua? Yes, further proving the notion that no one can say no to talking animals, the Disney family flick landed at No. 1 with a very solid $29 million, the biggest opening for a kids' movie since Wall-E in June. Nick And Norah's Infinite Playlist covered the older-sibling demographic, debuting in third place with $12 million, behind last week's No. 1, Eagle Eye, which took in $17.7 million and looks like it could be on its way to breaking the $100 million mark.
Nights In Rodanthe dropped two spots to No. 4 with $7.4 million, ahead of Appaloosa at No. 5 with $5 million. (While Appaloosa wasn't technically a new release, having soft opened in a handful of theaters two weeks ago, this week was the film's proper debut.) Lakeview Terrace and Burn After Reading held down the No. 6 and 7 spots, with $4.5 million and $4.1 million, respectively. The Christian-themed Fireproof saw a significant drop from its No. 4 debut last week, but still remained in the top 10, landing at No. 8 with $4.1 million. This couldn't have pleased Bill Maher, whose Religulous opened a couple spots down at No. 10 with $3.5 million, behind the dire An American Carol at No. 9 with $3.8 million. (This despite the fact that Religulous showed in about a third of the number of theaters as An American Carol.) Despite opening in more than 1,000 theaters each, the week's other new releases, Flash Of Genius, Blindness, and How To Lose Friends And Alienate People, all failed to crack the top 10.
More detailed numbers can be found at boxofficemojo.com.