Wild Things top the US box office

Despite all the worries about the film's marketing and audience, Where The Wild Things Are romped to the top of the box office in the US with $32.4 million this weekend.

That sound you hear is the Warners executives exhaling - slightly - as the film performs, launching in first position.

But there was plenty of wealth to share this weekend - revenge thriller Law Abiding Citizen scored $21.2 million, while spooky hype magnet Paranormal Activity nabbed $20 million in its first wide release ("wide" in this case being 760 screens).

Couples Retreat had to settle for dropping to fourth place and $17.9 million, while the weekend's other new arrival - horror remake The Stepfather - sputtered in at fifth with $12.3 million.

The Top 10:

Where The Wild Things Are ($32.4 million)
Law Abiding Citizen ($21.2 million)
Paranormal Activity ($20 million)
Couples Retreat ($17.9 million)
The Stepfather ($12.3 million)
Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs ($8.1 million)
Zombieland ($7.8 million)
Toy Story/Toy Story 2 3D ($3 million)
Surrogates ($2 million)
The Invention Of Lying ($1.9 million)

[Data Source: Box Office Mojo ]

James White is a freelance journalist who has been covering film and TV for over two decades. In that time, James has written for a wide variety of publications including Total Film and SFX. He has also worked for BAFTA and on ODEON's in-cinema magazine.