Nov. 2 (Bloomberg) -- “Michael Jackson’s This Is It” was the top film in U.S. and Canadian theaters this weekend with $23.2 million in ticket sales for distributor Sony Corp. and set a global record for concert movies.

The original two-week run was extended through the weekend of Nov. 29, Sony said yesterday in an e-mailed statement. Among other films, “Paranormal Activity” from Viacom Inc.’s Paramount Pictures fell to second place from first with $16.4 million, Hollywood.com Box-Office said yesterday in a statement.

Demand for the Jackson film was greater outside the U.S. and Canada. International sales were $68.5 million in the first five days, according to researcher Box Office Mojo. The film broke the concert-movie record set last year by “Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: The Best of Both World Concert Tour,” which took in a total of $70.6 million worldwide.

Domestic sales for the Jackson movie “probably didn’t match the hype,” said Brandon Gray, editor of Box Office Mojo, based in Sherman Oaks, California. “It’s still a very good opening for that type of a picture. The norm is for those films to do very little business.”

The movie, directed by Kenny Ortega, includes interviews and rehearsal and backstage footage of Jackson preparing for his planned 50 concerts in London’s O2 Arena before his death in June. The film opened Oct. 28 with $20.1 million in sales worldwide.

“This Is It” probably will lose its first-place ranking in the U.S. and Canada next weekend to director Robert Zemeckis’s adaptation of “A Christmas Carol,” Gray said. Jim Carrey plays multiple roles in the Walt Disney Co. movie, including Ebenezer Scrooge.

“It’s a good time for a Christmas movie,” he said. “It would be surprising if ‘A Christmas Carol’ wasn’t No. 1. ‘This Is It’ should see a significant drop off.”

‘Paranormal Activity’

“Paranormal Activity,” the low-budget horror film, has brought in $84.6 million since its release. The movie, which has benefited from a Web-based marketing campaign, spent the month of October working its way up the weekly movie ranking, eventually finishing at No. 1 last weekend after expanding to 1,945 theaters from 760 the prior period.

“Paranormal Activity” tells the story of a couple whose suburban home is haunted by a demonic presence.

“‘Paranormal’ has continued to do very well,” Gray said. “A modest drop was expected. That picture is having an exceptional run. It’s peaked at the box office.”

“Law Abiding Citizen,” distributed by Overture Films, came in third with $7.4 million. The movie stars Gerard Butler as a man who takes revenge on his family’s killers, as well as the criminal justice system.

Vince Vaughn’s and Jon Favreau’s comedy “Couples Retreat,” was fourth with receipts of $6.5 million for General Electric Co.’s Universal Pictures. “Saw VI,” an R-rated horror sequel, came in fifth with $5.3 million for Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. The film follows a serial killer named Jigsaw who kidnaps victims and makes them solve intricate traps to try to survive.

Sales for the top 12 films rose 12 percent to $82.9 million from a year earlier, Los Angeles-based Hollywood.com said. Year-to-date receipts total $8.56 billion, up 7.7 percent from a year ago. Attendance is up 3.6 percent this year.

The following table has figures provided by studios to Hollywood.com. The amounts are based on actual ticket sales from Oct. 30 - Nov. 1.

                                 Rev.             Avg./    Pct.    Total
Movie                        (mln) Theaters  Theater    Chg.    (mln) Wks
=========================================================================
1 MICHAEL JACKSON’S THIS IS     23.2    3,481    6,675     --     34.4  1
2 PARANORMAL ACTIVITY           16.4    2,404    6,817    -22     84.6  6
3 LAW ABIDING CITIZEN            7.4    2,764    2,679    -40     51.5  3
4 COUPLES RETREAT                6.5    3,026    2,135    -39     87.0  4
5 WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE      5.9    3,645    1,627    -58     62.7  3
6 SAW VI                         5.3    3,036    1,736    -63     22.5  2
7 ASTRO BOY (ANIMATED)           3.5    3,020    1,146    -48     11.3  2
8 THE STEPFATHER                 3.2    2,346    1,367    -49     24.6  3
9 CIRQUE DU FREAK: THE VAMPIR    3.1    2,754    1,125    -51     10.8  2
10 AMELIA                        3.0    1,070    2,836    -22     8.3   2
11 CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEA   2.7    2,322    1,183    -48   118.6   7
12 ZOMBIELAND                    2.6    2,056    1,275    -38    71.2   5

Top 12 Films Grosses

   This Week     Year Ago      Pct.
     (mln)         (mln)       Chg.
===================================
     $82.9         $74.0      12.0


Year-to-date Revenue

     2009          2008
      YTD           YTD        Pct.
     (mln)         (mln)       Chg.
===================================
    $8,564        $7,953       7.7


Year-to-date Attendance:      3.6%

To contact the reporters on this story: Inyoung Hwang in New York at ihwang7@bloomberg.net; Lester Pimentel at lpimentel1@bloomberg.net;

Last Updated: November 2, 2009 17:35 EST