Jackson movie thrills North America box-office

November 03, 2009 02:07:45 PM

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Michael Jackson delivered a posthumous thriller at the North American box office this weekend as the movie of his aborted comeback "This Is It" took top spot, final figures showed Monday.

The acclaimed film -- put together from footage of Jackson rehearsing for a series of London concerts due to start just a few weeks after his death -- scooped 23.2 million dollars, figures from Exhibitor Relations showed.

The movie took 34.4 million dollars in its first five days of release as fans scrambled to get one last glimpse of the tragic "King of Pop", whose sudden death in June triggered a global outpouring of tributes.

The Jackson film was given a clear run at the box office at the weekend as other major studios opted against going head-to-head with "This Is It" on Halloween weekend.

In second place was micro-budgeted supernatural thriller "Paranormal Activity", which continued its strong performance with 16.4 million dollars. The movie -- made for just 11,000 dollars -- has now earned a staggering 84.6 million dollars since its release.

"Law Abiding Citizen," a thriller about a man determined to avenge the deaths of his slain family, moved up to the number three spot with 7.4 million dollars.

It was trailed by a former number-one "Couples Retreat," starring comic favorites Vince Vaughn and Jason Bateman, now in fourth place with 6.5 million dollars.

"Where the Wild Things Are," director Spike Jonze's live-action rendering of the beloved children's book of the same name, was fifth with 5.9 million, ahead of horror film "Saw VI," sixth with 5.3 million dollars.

In seventh spot, with 3.5 million dollars, was "Astro Boy," a 3D animated feature about a futuristic robot who first came to life in the 1950s as a character in the Japanese science fiction manga series of the same name.

"The Stepfather," a remake of a 1987 thriller, earned 3.2 million dollars to finish eighth.

Teen vampire vehicle, "Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant," based on a popular young adult book franchise, brought in 3.1 million dollars at number nine while, "Amelia", a film about aviatrix Amelia Earhart starring Oscar-winner Hilary Swank, reaped 3.03 million to round out the top 10.