Beverly Hills Chihuahua still tops the US box office

We wouldn’t want to be the ones to tell Ridley Scott, Russell Crowe and Leonardo DiCaprio that their combined talent and star power wasn’t enough to topple a film about talking dogs. But it’s true: Beverly Hills Chihuahua hung on to the top spot in the US box office charts this weekend.

The chatty canines notched up $17.5 million in their second week, sending the film’s total to $52.5 million and practically guaranteeing a return engagement. That meant Quarantine, about a group of strangers trapped in a building and exposed to a terrifying rabies-like virus, had to settle for second with $14.2 million.

Spy thriller Body Of Lies - from Scott, Crowe and DiCaprio - was dumped into third on its launch week, nabbing just $13.1 million, ahead of Eagle Eye in fourth (and on its third week of release) with $11 million. Rounding out the top five was Nick And Norah’s Infinite Playlist, down from third but already in profit thanks to a $21 million total so far.

City Of Ember’s Dark Start

In sixth, American Football biopic The Express proved that sentimental sports dramas don’t always hit big, while Nights In Rodanthe began to slide down the charts after four weeks on release, adding $4.6 million to its $32 million tally in seventh. And in eighth, Ed Harris’ Western drama Appaloosa made $3.4 million in its fourth week.

At the bottom of the charts we find The Duchess, with Keira Knightley and Ralph Fiennes, which took in $3.3 million and lurking at the bottom, seemingly sunk by mixed reviews and bad buzz, fantasy adventure City Of Ember had a very slow start, arriving in 10th place and grabbing just $3.2 million. We bet the producers will be hoping it can be saved with DVD sales.

[Source: Box Office Mojo ]