"The Grudge 2" tops box office in U.S.

"The Grudge 2" topped the box office in the last weekend in the United States, raking in 20.8 million U.S. dollars, showed final figures released on Monday.

The movie, made by Sony Pictures, helped Sony break another industry record with 12 number one openings this year.

The horror flick's predecessor, "The Grudge," also topped the box office when it opened in 2004 with a take of more than 39 million dollars.

Last week's leader, the mob drama "The Departed," slipped to second place, bringing in 19 million dollars with a two-week take to 57 million, according Encino-based Exhibitor Relations Inc., a box office tracker.

Comedy "Man Of The Year," about a comedian who, on a whim, decides to run for president and unexpectedly wins, debuted in third place with 12.3 million dollars.

"Open Season," the animated flick about animals banding together for protection during hunting season, fell one spot to fourth place with 11.1 million dollars.

"The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning," the latest installment stemming from the 1974 horror movie, dropped three spots to fifth place with 7.5 million dollars.

Rounding out the top 12 were: "The Marine" (7.1 million dollars); "The Guardian" (5.9 million dollars); "Employee of the Month" (5.3 million dollars); "One Night With The King" (4.1 million dollars); "Jackass: Number Two" (3.3 million dollars); "The Illusionist" (1.4 million dollars); and "School for Scoundrels" (1.3 million dollars).

The weekend's top 12 films grossed 99.1 million dollars, making it the third "up" weekend in a row. In the year-ago period, the gross for the top 12 was 71.6 million dollars.

Source: Xinhua