Ticket sales at the box office in North America plunged this weekend as pre-Christmas snow undermined openings of two new movies starring Jim Carrey and Will Smith, according to preliminary box office figures released on Sunday.

Jim Carrey comedy "Yes Man" debuted in the number one at box office in U.S. and Canadian theaters with 18 million dollars in projected sales over the three-day period, Los Angeles-based box office tracking firm Media By Numbers reported.

The Warner Bros. production entered the Christmas cinema derby as "another holiday hit" for the 46-year-old rubber-faced comedian, the firm said. Warner's comedy "Four Christmases" has been on display in theaters for three weeks with strong performances.

Debuting in second place was Sony/Columbia drama "Seven Pounds" starring Will Smith. The film is expected to sell 16 million dollars worth of tickets over the weekend with an audience that is 55 percent female.

Another new release over the weekend, the mouse cartoon "The Tale of Desperaux" from Universal, debuted in third with an estimated 10.5 million dollars in ticket sales.

Rounding out the top 5 movies this weekend were sci-fi movie "The Day The Earth Stood Still" with 10.1 million dollars and "Four Christmases" with 7.7 million dollars.

The 12 top-selling movies took in 82.8 million dollars collectively this weekend, down 44 percent from the same period last year, as snowstorms in many areas across the United States were keeping movie-goers at home.

(Xinhua News Agency December 22, 2008)