EON

Hamilton – The weekend box office receipts for 2009’s first week followed suit and held on to their Christmas positions. “Marley & Me,” based on the best selling John Grogan book and produced by 20th Century Fox, triumphed at number one with just over $24 million in weekend ticket sales.

“Marley & Me” stars Owen Wilson and Jennifer Anniston as a couple struggling to co-exist and start a family with a more than rambunctious yellow Labrador retriever named Marley as their mischievous pet. Marley barrels through screen doors, runs off with women’s undergarments, and eats virtually everything, but his misbehaviors have continued to charm film goers as easily as readers.

Other comedies also did well following the holidays with the Adam Sandler starring “Bedtime Stories” providing laughs for the whole family and Jim Carrey’s hilarious “Yes Man” maintaining their spots as the second and fifth films respectively.

Established stars seemed to be the theme for this years releases and “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” featuring Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett remained third with its stunning visuals and intriguing storyline of a man growing younger instead of older. Tom Cruise proved he can still bring in the bucks at the box office and his MGM release “Valkyrie” maintained the fourth position. Cruise plays a German soldier attempting to orchestrate an assassination of Hitler, and so far audiences have been able to buy in.

The rest of the top ten features the usual end of the year award seekers doing well in limited release, but “Marley” appears poised to hold on to the top spot in the near future.