"Puss in Boots" snatched the domestic box office title from a band of working-class thieves in the new Eddie Murphy action-comedy "Tower Heist," according to studio estimates. "Puss in Boots," an animated spinoff from the blockbuster "Shrek" movies, nabbed an estimated 48 million dollars (USD) in global ticket sales during its second weekend in theaters. That included an unexpectedly strong 33 million from U.S. and Canadian theaters, putting the 3D family film in first place domestically for the second week in a row. "Tower Heist" was in second place for the weekend with just over 25 million (USD) in North American sales, at the low end of studio projections. The film tells the story of Manhattan high-rise employees, led by comic heavyweights Murphy and Ben Stiller, who plan a robbery to regain their losses from a Wall Street swindler. In third place, pot-smoking duo Harold & Kumar underachieved with their holiday misadventures. "A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas" took in 13 million domestically, short of studio expectations of at least 15 million for the third film in the low-budget series. In fourth place, low-budget horror sequel "Paranormal Activity 3" earned 8.5 million in domestic sales. The jury in the trial of Dr. Conrad Murray accused of involuntary manslaughter in the 2009 death of pop star Michael Jackson will return on Monday (November 07) for its second day of deliberation after hearing six weeks of testimony in the trial. John Russell, Reuters.
