Perry’s trip to altar pays off

Three out of four isn’t bad. “Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married?” was the filmmaker’s third movie to open No. 1 at the box office, and it was only his fourth outing.

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson still looks rock solid, as his comedy “The Game Plan” held up well in its third weekend.

The critically acclaimed legal thriller “Michael Clayton” met expectations after expanding into wide release in its second weekend. “We Own the Night,” a crime thriller with mixed reviews, fared as expected in its launch. The historical drama “Elizabeth: The Golden Age,” which also got a tepid critical reception, opened at the low end of predictions.

Outside the top 10, the underdog sports drama “The Final Season” grossed an uninspiring $665,000 in its wide opening.

Industrywide ticket sales were down from the same weekend in 2006 for the fourth straight time as Hollywood’s fall slump continued.

Preliminary results (in millions) in the U.S. and Canada, based on studio projections:

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Movie (studio): 1. Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married? (Lions Gate)

3-day gross (millions): $21.5

Total (millions): $21.5

Weeks: 1

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Movie (studio): 2. The Game Plan (Disney)

3-day gross (millions): $11.5

Total (millions): $59.4

Weeks: 3

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Movie (studio): 3. Michael Clayton (Warner Bros.)

3-day gross (millions): $11.0

Total (millions): $12.1

Weeks: 2

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Movie (studio): 4. We Own the Night (Sony)

3-day gross (millions): $11.0

Total (millions): $11.0

Weeks: 1

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Movie (studio): 5. The Heartbreak Kid (DreamWorks/Paramount)

3-day gross (millions): $7.4

Total (millions): $26.0

Weeks: 2

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Movie (studio): 6. Elizabeth: The Golden Age (Universal)

3-day gross (millions): $6.2

Total (millions): $6.2

Weeks: 1

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Movie (studio): 7. The Kingdom (Universal)

3-day gross (millions): $4.6

Total (millions): $40.0

Weeks: 3

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Movie (studio): 8. Across the Universe (Sony)

3-day gross (millions): $4.0

Total (millions): $12.9

Weeks: 5

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Movie (studio): 9. Resident Evil: Extinction (Sony)

3-day gross (millions): $2.7

Total (millions): $48.1

Weeks: 4

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Movie (studio): 10. The Seeker: The Dark Is Rising (20th Century Fox)

3-day gross (millions): $2.2

Total (millions): $7.1

Weeks: 2

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Industry totals

3-day gross (in millions): $100.0

Change from 2006: -9.1%

Year-to-date gross (in billions): $7.6

Change from 2006: +6.4%

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Note: A movie may be shown on more than one screen at each venue.

Source: Media by Numbers

Los Angeles Times