The R-rated sci-fi thriller District 9 [DIST9] hauled in an estimated $37.0 million to debut in first place. The directorial debut from Neil Blomkamp featured a cast of unknowns and a third-world setting in South Africa. Sony built awareness with a marketing campaign that treated extraterrestrial aliens as if they were just another group of illegal aliens.
Last weekend’s top film G.I.Joe: The Rise of Cobra [GIJOE] finished second, declining 59% in its sophomore outing to $22.5 million.
Warner Bros.’ The Time Traveller’s Wife [TTRWF] arrived in the third spot with $19.2 million. The audience for the fantasy romance skewed heavily female at 76%.
Amongst the weekend’s other new releases, the R-rated comedy The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard [TGDRS] sold $5.35 million for sixth place. The G-rated animated Ponyo [PONYO] opened ninth with $3.5 million. The PG-rated teen pic Bandslam [BSLAM] failed to crack the top 12 grossing just $2.25 million.
| Rank | TITLE | F-S-S | TOTAL |
| 1 | DISTRICT 9 | $37,000,000 | $37,000,000 |
| 2 | G.I. JOE: THE RISE OF COBRA | $22,500,000 | $98,753,000 |
| 3 | THE TIME TRAVELER'S WIFE | $19,205,000 | $19,205,000 |
| 4 | JULIE & JULIA | $12,400,000 | $43,684,000 |
| 5 | G-FORCE | $6,908,000 | $99,049,000 |
| 6 | THE GOODS: LIVE HARD, SELL HARD | $5,350,000 | $5,350,000 |
| 7 | HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE | $5,155,000 | $283,893,000 |
| 8 | THE UGLY TRUTH | $4,500,000 | $77,502,000 |
| 9 | PONYO | $3,506,000 | $3,506,000 |
| 10 | (500) DAYS OF SUMMER | $3,025,000 | $17,955,047 |
Source: Exhibitor Relations Co.
Tag(s): DIST9, GIJOE, TTRWF, TGDRS, PONYO, BSLAM