LOS ANGELES - "Beverly Hills Chihuahua" was barking up the right tree with moviegoers, who put the Disney comedy at No. 1 for the weekend with a $29 million debut, according to studio estimates Sunday.
Featuring a talking Chihuahua with Drew Barrymore's voice, the family flick about a pampered pooch lost in Mexico led a surge of new movies that boosted Hollywood business, which generally has slumped the past two months. The top 12 movies hauled in $95.4 million, up 42 percent from the same weekend a year ago.
The previous weekend's No. 1 movie, the DreamWorks-Paramount thriller "Eagle Eye," slipped to second place with $17.7 million, raising its total to $54.6 million.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
1. "Beverly Hills Chihuahua," $29 million
2. "Eagle Eye," $17.7 million
3. "Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist," $12 million
4. "Nights in Rodanthe," $7.4 million
5. "Appaloosa," $5 million
6. "Lakeview Terrace," $4.5 million
7. "Burn After Reading," $4.08 million
8. "Fireproof," $4.07 million
9. "An American Carol," $3.8 million
10. Religulous, $3.5 million