Comedian Martin Lawrence dusted off his fat suit and floral-print dresses to take the No. 1 slot at the North American box office with "Big Momma's House 2," a sequel to his 2000 comedy hit.
According to studio estimates issued on Sunday, "Big Momma's House" sold $28 million worth of tickets in the three days beginning January 27, surpassing the $25.7 million bow of the first film. Industry observers had expected the sequel to come in below the original because the first film opened during the lucrative summer movie season and also because Lawrence has not been a major box office presence in recent years.
The sequel, a $40 million release from News Corp.'s Twentieth Century Fox, finds Lawrence returning as an FBI agent who goes undercover as a big-boned woman to work as a nanny in a suspect's house.
Domestic duties also paid off for a heavily disguised Emma Thompson, who opened at No. 2 with "Nanny McPhee," a family comedy about a magical nanny who tames the seven naughtiest children in the history of the world.
The Universal Pictures release, budgeted at $25 million, sold $14.1 million worth of tickets in its first three days. The studio, a unit of General Electric Co.'s NBC Universal, had hoped for an opening in the $10 million range.
The film, which finished shooting in July 2004, opened in the United Kingdom last October, earning $29.1 million there.
Last weekend's champion, "Underworld: Evolution," fell to No. 3 with $11.1 million. The Kate Beckinsale vampire thriller has grossed $44.3 million after 10 days, according to Screen Gems, a unit of Sony Corp.
Another new entry, "Annapolis," took the No. 4 slot with a modest $7.7 million. The Walt Disney Co. film revolves around a boxing tourney at the U.S. Naval Academy and stars James Franco and Tyrese Gibson.
Rounding out the top five was the animated Little Red Riding Hood fable "Hoodwinked," which was down three places with $7.4 million. After three weeks, it has earned $37.7 million for the Weinstein Co., the new company founded by former Miramax Films chief Bob and Harvey Weinstein.
The Weinsteins also had the No. 10 entry, "The Matador," a black comedy starring former James Bond actor Pierce Brosnan. It earned $3.8 million in its first weekend of national release, following four weeks in limited play. Sales to date stand at $5.5 million.
