Hollywood revenues benefited from a very prosperous Christmas weekend, as films starring big names such as Jennifer Aniston, Owen Wilson, Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett and Adam Sandler registered impressive debuts.

 

Dog tale “Marley & Me” opened at No. 1 at the North American box office with $37 million in ticket sales during the weekend and a total of $51.7 million since debuting on Christmas Day, according to studio estimates released on Sunday.

 

Disney comedy “Bedtime Stories,” which sees Adam Sandler in the shoes of a wacky storyteller, claimed the second spot with $28.1 million and raised its total since Christmas Day to $38.6 million.

 

Paramount’s critically acclaimed “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” that portrays a love story between Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett’s characters came in third with $27 million for the weekend and a $39 million total, almost surpassing “Bedtime Stories.”

 

Tom Cruise’s latest film, “Valkyrie,” which focuses on the plot of a German officer to assassinate Adolf Hitler, saw a No. 4 debut weekend with $21.5 million in ticket sales. The movie distributed by MGM grossed $30 million since its Christmas opening.

 

Jim Carrey’s “Yes Man” was No. 5 with $16.5 million during the weekend, followed by Will Smith’s “Seven Pounds” with $13.4 million and animated flick “The Tale of Despereaux” with $9.4 million.

 

“The Day the Earth Stood Still,” starring Keanu Reeves claimed the eighth position at the box office with $7.9 million, while Lionsgate’s action thriller “The Spirit” defied lackluster reviews and claimed the ninth spot with $6.5 million over the weekend and $10.4 million since its debut.

 

“Doubt” rounded out the weekend’s top 10 with $5.7 million in ticket sales.

 

In spite the fact that revenues had slipped throughout the past couple of weekends, Hollywood finished the year with a big score, as the top 12 movies took in $182.5 million, up 8 percent compared to the same weekend last year.