‘Whole Nine Yards’ ’ Willis, Perry Hold the Line at No. 1

The hit-man comedy “The Whole Nine Yards” held the top box-office spot for a second weekend with $9.6 million in ticket sales, according to industry estimates Sunday.

The teen comedy “Snow Day” also held strong at No. 2 with $8.5 million in its third weekend.

The only new movie to debut in the top five was “Reindeer Games,” a casino-heist caper starring Ben Affleck, Gary Sinise and Charlize Theron and directed by John Frankenheimer. It overcame generally poor reviews to open in third place with $8 million.

The comic drama “Hanging Up,” which last weekend ran a close second to “The Whole Nine Yards,” fell to No. 4 with $7.5 million. The sci-fi thriller “Pitch Black” rounded out the top five with $7.1 million.

“The Whole Nine Yards” benefited from the box-office draw of Bruce Willis, along with Matthew Perry, said Dan Fellman, head of distribution for Warner Bros., which released the movie. Perry stars as a dentist marked for death after a mob hit man, played by Willis, moves in next door.

“This is another case, like ‘The Sixth Sense,’ of Bruce Willis involved in a film you didn’t know would be this No. 1 hit,” said Paul Dergarabedian, president of Exhibitor Relations Co., which tracks the box office. “Anything he’s in right now seems to be gold.”

The movie also has gotten a boost from the Oscar buzz about co-star Michael Clarke Duncan, Fellman said. Duncan was nominated for best supporting actor for “The Green Mile.”

“Wonder Boys,” starring Michael Douglas, debuted in seventh place with $5.9 million, but scored the best per-theater average among the top films.