'Christmas' comes early at box office

Disney's computer-animated version of "A Christmas Carol" topped the box office this weekend with an estimated $31 million, according BoxOfficeMojo.com

With Jim Carrey providing the voice of Ebenezer Scrooge, "A Christmas Carol" did twice the business as last week's No. 1 film, "Michael Jackson's This Is It," but fell short of opening weekend hauls of several other Christmas-themed movies including Carrey's own "How the Grinch Stole Christmas."

Here are the Top 5 opening weekends for Christmas movies, according to BoxOfficeMojo.com:

1. How the Grinch Stole Christmas - $55 million (with total gross of $260 million)
2. Elf - $31.1 million (with total gross of $173 million)
3. Four Christmases - $31 million (with total gross of $120 million)
4. A Christmas Carol (2009) - $31 million
5 The Santa Clause 2 - $29 million (with total gross of $139 million)

WEEKEND TOP 5 STUDIO ESTIMATES, NOVEMBER 6-8, 2009

Rank. Movie Title (Distributor)
Weekend Gross | Theaters | Total Gross | Week #

1. A Christmas Carol (2009) (Buena Vista)
$31.0 million | 3,683 | $31.0 million | 1

2. Michael Jackson's This Is It (Sony / Columbia)
$14.0 million | 3,481 | $57.9 million | 2

3. The Men Who Stare at Goats (Overture Films)
$13.3 million | 2,443 | $13.3 million | 1

4. The Fourth Kind (Universal)
$12.5 million | 2,527 | $12.5 million | 1

5. Paranormal Activity (Paramount)
$8.6 million | 2,558 | $97.4 million | 7