Nov. 9 (Bloomberg) -- Walt Disney Co.’s “A Christmas Carol” opened as the top film in U.S. and Canadian theaters this weekend with ticket sales of $31 million.

Last weekend’s No. 1 movie, “Michael Jackson’s This Is It,” dropped to second place with $14 million for Sony Corp., researcher Hollywood.com Box-Office said yesterday in an e- mailed statement.

“A Christmas Carol,” a 3-D adaptation of the Charles Dickens holiday tale, is Disney’s sixth top debut this year. The company ranks fifth among the six major studios in U.S. ticket sales in 2009 with $1 billion as of Nov. 5, according to Box Office Mojo, a California-based researcher. “Up,” from Disney’s Pixar Animation Studios, is the top 3-D movie in the U.S. this year with $292.9 million.

“The thing about Christmas films is they hold until the new year,” said Chad Hartigan, a box-office analyst at Exhibitor Relations in Los Angeles. “So, ‘A Christmas Carol’ has plenty of room to stretch its wings and gross over $150 million domestically,” he said.

Directed by Robert Zemeckis, “A Christmas Carol” stars Jim Carrey as Ebenezer Scrooge, the misanthrope who is visited by four ghosts on Christmas Eve.

“Michael Jackson’s This Is It,” directed by Kenny Ortega, compiles rehearsal and backstage footage of Jackson preparing for his 50 concerts in London’s 02 Arena before his death in June. The film has made $57.9 million since its debut on Oct. 28.

‘The Fourth Kind’

“The Men Who Stare at Goats,” starring George Clooney and Ewan McGregor, debuted in third place with $13.3 million for Overture Films. The comedy focuses on a U.S. Army unit that attempts to use psychic powers on the battlefield.

“The Fourth Kind,” a sci-fi film from General Electric Co.’s Universal Pictures, opened in fourth place with $12.5 million. The movie stars Milla Jovovich as a psychologist in Alaska who interviews patients about alien abductions.

“Paranormal Activity,” the low-budget horror film from Viacom Inc.’s Paramount Pictures, fell to fifth place from second with $8.6 million. The movie, which has benefited from a Web-based marketing campaign, hit the No. 1 spot two weekends ago and has brought in $97.4 million since its release on Sept. 25.

‘Precious’

“The Box,” starring Cameron Diaz, debuted in sixth place with $12.5 million for Time Warner Inc.’s Warner Bros. The thriller tells the story of a couple who receive a mysterious box with a button that when pushed, rewards them with $1 million while killing someone else.

“Precious,” a Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. film produced by Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry, came in 13th with $1.8 million at 18 theaters. With that it set a box-office record, becoming the first film ever to open in more than 10 theaters and earn an average of $100,000 per theater, according to Hollywood.com.

The critically acclaimed film, based on the novel “Push” by an author known as Sapphire, was shown in Los Angeles, New York and Atlanta.

“They must have sold out every show, because that figure is astounding,” Hartigan said. “Precious” expands to additional markets during the next two weeks.

Sales for the top 12 films fell 13.4 percent to $110.6 million from a year earlier, Los Angeles-based Hollywood.com said. Year-to-date receipts total $8.7 billion, up 7.4 percent from a year ago. Attendance is up 3.3 percent this year.

The following table has figures provided by studios to Hollywood.com. The amounts are based on actual ticket sales from Nov. 6-7 and estimates for yesterday.

                       Rev.            Avg./   Pct.   Total
Movie                 (mln)  Theaters  Theater Chg.   (mln)  Wks
================================================================
1 A CHRISTMAS CAROL    $31.0   3,683   $8,417   --    $31.0   1
2 THIS IS IT            14.0   3,481    4,022   -40    57.9   2
3 THE MEN WHO STARE     13.3   2,443    5,448   --     13.3   1
4 THE FOURTH KIND       12.5   2,527    4,955   --     12.5   1
5 PARANORMAL ACTIVITY    8.6   2,558    3,362   -48    97.4   7
6 THE BOX                7.9   2,635    2,981   --      7.9   1
7 COUPLES RETREAT        6.4   2,857    2,250     0    95.9   5
8 LAW ABIDING CITIZEN    6.2   2,474    2,495   -17    60.9   4
9 WHERE THE WILD THINGS  4.2   2,756    1,533   -29    69.3   4
10 ASTRO BOY             2.6   1,918    1,349   -25    15.1   3
11 SAW VI                2.0   2,091      956   -62    26.2   3
12 THE STEPFATHER        1.9   1,424    1,334   -41    27.5   4


Top 12 Films Grosses

   This Week     Year Ago      Pct.
     (mln)         (mln)       Chg.
===================================
     $110.6         $127.7     -13.4

Year-to-date Revenue

     2009          2008
      YTD           YTD        Pct.
     (mln)         (mln)       Chg.
===================================
    $8,725        $8,126       7.4

Year-to-date Attendance:      3.3%

To contact the reporters on this story: Inyoung Hwang in New York at ihwang7@bloomberg.net. Brett Pulley in New York at bpulley@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: November 9, 2009 00:00 EST