Playing zombies for laughs rather than frights paid off handsomely as Zombieland [ZMBLN] topped the weekend box office with an estimated $25 million. Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Abigail Breslin and Emma Stone starred in the Sony release which put a character-driven comedic spin on the horror genre.
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs [CWCMB] dropped $16.7 million to finish second after two weeks at number one. The Sony animated film let up just 33% despite losing some 3D screens to a new entrant, Toy Story/Toy Story 2 3D [TOY3D]. The Disney re-release grossed $12.5 million. The double feature effectively cut screenings in half.
The Rickey Gervais comedy The Invention of Lying [INVLY] debuted at the fourth spot with a respectable $7.4 million. On the other hand, roller derby comedy Whip It [WHIPT] opened in sixth place with a disappointing $4.8 million.
In its first wide weekend of release, Capitalism: A Love Story [FH912] banked $4.8 million to bring its net gross to $5.3 million.
| Rank | TITLE | F-S-S | TOTAL |
| 1 | ZOMBIELAND | $25,000,000 | $25,000,000 |
| 2 | CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS | $16,700,000 | $82,392,000 |
| 3 | TOY STORY/TOY STORY 2 3-D | $12,500,000 | $12,500,000 |
| 4 | THE INVENTION OF LYING | $7,350,000 | $7,350,000 |
| 5 | SURROGATES | $7,344,000 | $26,387,000 |
| 6 | WHIP IT | $4,850,000 | $4,850,000 |
| 7 | CAPITALISM: A LOVE STORY | $4,850,000 | $5,251,689 |
| 8 | FAME | $4,754,000 | $16,634,236 |
| 9 | THE INFORMANT! | $3,800,000 | $26,580,000 |
| 10 | LOVE HAPPENS | $2,777,290 | $18,910,345 |
Source: Exhibitor Relations Co.
Tag(s): ZMBLN, CWCMB, TOY3D, INVLY, WHIPT, FH912