Moviegoers partied in Las Vegas as the blackjack drama 21 scored a stronger-than-expected number one debut to lead the North American box office with ease. Two-time chart champ Horton Hears A Who was bumped down to the runner-up spot while the frame's other new wide releases posted forgettable opening weekend grosses. Overall the marketplace remained sluggish with moviegoers finding most films not all that appealing.

Kevin Spacey topped the box office this weekend starring and producing 21 which collected an estimated $23.7M over the Friday-to-Sunday period. Based on a true story of a group of M.I.T. math wizards who devise a scheme to win big in casinos, the Sony release averaged a potent $8,950 from 2,648 theaters. The industry was looking for a somewhat smaller bow so the figure beat out expectations. According to studio research, the PG-13 film played to a broad range of gamblers. Males made up 53% of the audience while those under the age of 25 made up 53%. Reviews were not very good but moviegoers responded to the slick marketing and the story.

After two weeks at number one, the Dr. Seuss animated blockbuster Horton Hears A Who dropped down to second place but still posted healthy numbers. The Fox toon slipped only 29% from Easter weekend and collected an estimated $17.4M raising the cume to $117.3M after 17 days. Horton became the first film of 2008 to crack the century mark on Friday, its 15th day of release. A trajectory towards the $150M barrier still looks likely.

MGM distributed The Weinstein Company's spoof comedy Superhero Movie and was met with a lukewarm reception in third place. The PG-13 film about a young man who gains super powers from a dragonfly grossed an estimated $9.5M from 2,960 locations for a mild $3,213 average. It was the widest release among the four new offerings. The performance came in between the solid $18.5M of January's Meet the Spartans and the dismal $5.6M of last October's The Comebacks. Both were spoof comedies which have become all too common in today's marketplace.

Tyler Perry's latest tale Meet the Browns suffered a steep fall in its second weekend dropping 61% to an estimated $7.8M. With $32.8M collected in the first ten days, the Lionsgate title should find its way to about $45-50M making it the second lowest-grossing picture of the director's string of five films.

The Paramount comedy Drillbit Taylor held up moderately well in its sophomore session falling 44% to an estimated $5.8M for a $20.6M cume. Look for a $35M finish to the domestic run of the Owen Wilson starrer. The horror pic Shutter followed with an estimated $5.3M, down 49%, for a ten-day total of $19.1M. A $30M final should result. Warner Bros. saw its prehistoric actioner 10,000 BC capture an estimated $4.9M for seventh place, down 45%, lifting the overall take to $84.9M.

Debuting in eighth place with little strength was the soldier drama Stop-Loss which took in an estimated $4.5M from 1,291 sites. Averaging only $3,505, the Paramount release stars Ryan Phillippe as a war veteran who returns to his hometown after serving his country. The PG-13 film also features Channing Tatum and Abbie Cornish and targeted the teen and young adult crowd. Like most recent films with themes connected to war, paying customers were hard to find. Reviews were the best among the weekend's new titles, but not spectacular.

Martin Lawrence and Raven-Symone enjoyed a great hold for their comedy College Road Trip which eased just 25% to an estimated $3.5M pushing Disney's cume to $38.4M. Rounding out this weekend's unremarkable top ten was the heist thriller The Bank Job which fell 33% in its fourth round to an estimated $2.8M. Cume sits at $24.1M. The Jason Statham hit has been that rare action film to show durable legs.

Debuting outside of the top ten was the Simon Pegg comedy Run, Fat Boy, Run which bowed to an estimated $2.4M from a not-so-wide 1,133 locations. Averaging a disappointing $2,109 per venue, the Picturehouse release generated little excitement with ticket buyers.

The top ten films grossed an estimated $85.2M which was down a troubling 25% from last year when Blades of Glory opened at number one with $33M; and down a disturbing 33% from 2006 when Ice Age: The Meltdown debuted in the top spot with $68M.

Author: Gitesh Pandya, Box Office Guru