AceShowbiz -

Apocalyptic movie "2012 (2009)" has conquered North American box office. Released worldwide on Friday, November 13 with $23.7 million in ticket sales, the Roland Emmerich-directed film has raked in $65.2 million stateside and an additional $160 million overseas in its opening weekend.

Despite the total $225 million that has brought in more than its $200 million budget, the domestic amount was still lower than the $68.7 million opening weekend for another doomsday movie, "The Day After Tomorrow". However, Sony claimed its global total was the best ever for an original movie not based on an established franchise, brand or best-selling novel.

Commenting on the John Cusack-starred film, head of distribution for Sony, Rory Bruer, said, "Roland is that type of filmmaker that casts his net really wide." He then added, "The story is something people could really relate to. It's a story of the survival of humanity."

Meanwhile, last week champion "A Christmas Carol (2009)" slipped to second place with approximately $22.3 million. Following the Disney movie was George Clooney's "The Men Who Stare at Goats" which earned around $5.86 million.

Rounding up the top five were "Precious: Based on the Novel PUSH by Sapphire" and "This Is It". The limited-released movie jumped nine places with $5.87 million after surprisingly landing 13th at the chart last week. The Michael Jackson's documentary, in the meantime, faced a 61.4|percent| drop in ticket sales, making it to collect only around $5.1 million in its third week in theaters.

Top Ten Movies at Box Office for November 13-15:

1. "2012 (2009)" - $65.2 million
2. "A Christmas Carol (2009)" - $22.3 million
3. "Precious: Based on the Novel PUSH by Sapphire" - $5.87 million
4. "The Men Who Stare at Goats" - $5.86 million
5. "This Is It" - $5.1 million
6. "The Fourth Kind" - $4.6 million
7. "Couples Retreat" - $4.2 million
8. "Paranormal Activity" - $4.0 million
9. "Law Abiding Citizen" - $3.8 million
10. "The Box" - $3.2 million

*UPDATE: When the final figures came out on Monday, November 16, "The Men Who Stare at Goats" dropped another slot to the fourth. Hence, it swapped place with "Precious: Based on the Novel PUSH by Sapphire", which now secured the third position on the chart.