JENNIFER ANISTON - MARLEY AND ME BARKS AWAY BOX OFFICE COMPETITION

MARLEY AND ME BARKS AWAY BOX OFFICE COMPETITION

Canine comedy Marley and Me has the bite to match its bark having topped the US box office charts for a second week.

The 20th Century Fox film - starring Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson - took $24 million (£16.57 million) in its second week in cinemas to retain the top spot.

In a week of strong box office performances, the top seven films across the Atlantic remained unchanged with Bedtime Stories and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button in second and third.

The latter is a firm favourite for Oscar glory, having been nominated for Golden Globe and Screen Actors' Guild (SAG) awards, and continues to charm US audiences with $18.4 million (£12.7 million) in its second week on release.

"What's so great is you've got a movie that is so unique that has been embraced by audiences," Rob Moore, vice chairman of Paramount Pictures, was quoted by Variety as saying.

"It's off to a spectacular start and should have a great hold."

Upcoming releases Bride Wars and The Unborn are strong contenders for next week's US number one spot.

The top ten films at the US box office are:

1 Marley and Me (1)
2 Bedtime Stories (2)
3 The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (3)
4 Valkyrie (4)
5 Yes Man (5)
6 Seven Pounds (6)
7 The Tale of Despereaux (7)
8 Doubt (10)
9 The Day the Earth Stood Still (8)
10 Slumdog Millionaire (13)