Jim Carrey has returned to what made him famous in the first place, laugh-out-loud comedies, and his newest effort, Warner Bros. release “Yes Man,” topped the North American weekend box office.
Perhaps more moviegoers would have indulged in Jim Carrey’s humor if it hadn’t been for the heavy snow, but even so, “Yes Man,” about a man who finds himself in a situation where he says “yes” to everything that comes along in his life, earned $18.2 million over its three-day opening in the US and Canada.
Will Smith’s drama “Seven Pounds,” released via Sony, came in second with $16 million. Smith teamed up with his “In the Pursuit of Happyness” director, Gabriele Muccino, to portray a character very different from his previous roles: an IRS agent guilt ridden by his past who decides to commit suicide but help seven perfect strangers before he does so.
At No. 3, we find yet another new release, Universal’s “The Tale of Despereaux,” an animated family film featuring the voices of Matthew Broderick and Emma Watson, of the “Harry Potter” movies. It took in $10.5 million.
The following films in the top ten have all been around for at least one week. Last weekend’s No. 1, sci-fi remake “The Day the Earth Stood Still,” starring Keanu Reeves and Jennifer Connelly, slipped to No. 4, with $10.1 million, while holiday comedy “Four Christmases,” starring Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn, raked in another $7.7 million, thus surpassing the $100 million mark.
Vampire romance “Twilight,” released by Summit Entertainment, earned another $5.2 million, slipping to No. 6, followed by Disney cartoon “Bolt,” with $4.3 million, “Slumdog Millionaire” with $3.2 million, Baz Luhrman’s “Australia,” starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman, with $2.3 million and the 22nd James Bond installment, “Quantum of Solace,” with $2.2 million.
Darren Aronofsky’s critically-acclaimed drama “The Wrestler,” starring Mickey Rourke and Marisa Tomei as a former wrestling champion and an aging stripper, respectively, was released in limited release; the Fox Searchlight project took in little over $200,000 in just four theaters.
