NASCAR comedy rolls to top spot at box office

Published 9:00 pm Sunday, August 6, 2006

LOS ANGELES – Will Ferrell’s NASCAR spoof “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby” enjoyed life in the fast lane with a No. 1 finish in the weekend box office race, taking in $47 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Also entering the box office race with a surprising debut was the animated movie “Barnyard: The Original Party Animals,” placing second with $16 million.

Overall, box office revenue for the top dozen films was up 17 percent over the same week last year, said Paul Dergarabedian, president of Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc., which tracks box office performance.

Disney’s “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” earned another $11 million to place third with attendance dropping 46 percent over the previous week. “Pirates” has earned $380 million after five weeks in North America theaters.

“Miami Vice” earned $9.7 million in its second week of release to slip to No. 4, “The Descent” earned $8.8 million for fifth.