With more than 40 shopping days left until Christmas, North American theatre audiences already had enough holiday cheer to put "Disney's A Christmas Carol" at the top of the box office.
Early estimates on Sunday by box office tracker Exhibitor Relations showed the adaptation of Charles Dickens' classic tale, featuring Jim Carey as Ebenezer Scrooge, earned 31 million dollars in first week in theatres.
Falling to second place was "This Is It," a compilation of footage of the late Michael Jackson as he prepared for a final world tour.
In at number three was new release "The Men Who Stare at Goats," a satirical comedy starring George Clooney as a member of an elite US military force that uses mind control as a weapon.
The number four spot went to another new release, "The Fourth Kind," starring Milla Jovovich as a doctor investigating alien abduction, which took in 12.5 million dollars.
Falling three spots to number five was "Paranormal Activity," a low-budget horror movie that earned 8.6 million dollars to bring its seven-week earning to 97.4 million dollars.
