MONSTER-IN-LAW TOPS
MOVIE DEBUTS

Monster-in-Law, the marriage flick starring Jennifer Lopez and Jane Fonda, was the weekend’s biggest movie opening, taking in $24 million, according to reports based on studio estimates.

That’s $3 million more than the $21 million logged by Kicking & Screaming, the number-two flick starring Will Ferrell and Robert Duvall. In third place was the new Jet Li actioner, Unleashed, which took in $10.6 million. Last week’s topper, crusade drama Kingdom of Heaven, came in fourth, dropping 51% to $9.6 million.

Overall, movie-ticket sales were off 6.7% compared to the same week last year, when Troy led the charge with first-week box office of $46.8 million, compared to Monster’s $24 million.

Observers are looking forward to this weekend’s debut of Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge of the Sith to breathe new life into box office numbers.