Marley & Me Charms Holiday Box Office

Fox's MARLEY & ME won the weekend box office (Dec. 26-28) with $36.4 million, earning a total of $50.7M since its Christmas Day release. The comedy starring Jennifer Aniston, Owen Wilson and 22 dogs had vfx by At The Post, LOOK! Effects and Lola Visual Effects.

The film's $14.75M first day was the largest Christmas Day opening in motion picture history.

Adam Sandler-topping BEDTIME STORIES placed second in its Christmas Day debut with $27.45M over the weekend and $38.03M total. The Disney film's vfx were by RotoFactory, Cinesite, Gentle Giant Studios, LOOK! Effects, Lola Visual Effects, Mark Rappaport Creature Effects, Proof and Tinsley Transfers.

THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON opened in third for Paramount with $26.85M and earned a cume of $38.7M since December 25 (vfx by Asylum VFX, Digital Domain, Drac Studios, Evil Eye Pictures, Gentle Giant Studios, Hydraulx, Lola Visual Effects, Matte World Digital, Ollin Studio and Special Effects Atlantic).

Tom Cruise-led VALKYRIE (United Artists, vfx by Lidar Services, Sony Pictures Imageworks and The Third Floor) placed in fourth in its opening weekend with $21.03M and a total one-week gross of $29.52M since Christmas Day.

Holdover YES MAN (Warner Bros., vfx by LOOK! Effects) dropped from first to fifth with $16.7M and a two-week cume of $49.8M.

Will Smith's SEVEN POUNDS (Sony, vfx by CafeFX) placed sixth in its second week with $13.4M and a total gross of $39.76M.

Staying in last week's order, animated THE TALE OF DESPEREAUX made $8.9M for Universal and in two weeks has done $27.5M.

Dropping from fourth to eighth place, THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL remake (Fox, vfx by At The Post, Cinesite, CosFX, Digital Dimension, Digital Domain, Flash Film Works, Hammerhead, Gentle Giant Studios, Hydraulx, Image Design Engine, Screaming Monkey and Weta Digital) made $7.7M and in three weeks has made $63.5M.

Stylistic crime thriller from Frank Miller, THE SPIRIT (Lionsgate, vfx by The Orphanage, Fuel VFX, Furious FX, LOOK! Effects, Ollin Studio, Precinct 13 Ent. and Rising Sun Pictures), came in ninth place in its Christmas Day debut weekend with $6.46M and $10.3M total.

Rounding out the top ten was religious drama DOUBT (Miramax), which added 1,228 theaters in its third week out for a weekend gross of $5.34M and a total cume of $8.48M.

In animation, Disney's BOLT made $3.38M and in six weeks has made $102.4M total. MADAGASCAR: ESCAPE 2 AFRICA (Paramount/DreamWorks) made $923,018 and in eight weeks has a gross of $174.86M.

Animated documentary WALTZ WITH BASHIR (Sony Pictures Classics) opened in five theaters on December 25 and 26 with $50,021 and $53,913 total through December 28.

MGM's IGOR made another $10,964 for a 15-week total of $19.4M.

Box office information from BoxOfficeMojo.com.