Aniston-starrer `Marley and Me` has record Christmas Day opening

Los Angeles, Dec 27: `Marley and Me`, starring Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston, had the largest Christmas Day opening in Hollywood`s history with estimated ticket sales of $14.75 million, according to figures released by box office tracking firm Media by Numbers.The previous record was $10.22 million for `Ali`, the Will Smith-starring biographical film on boxing champion Muhammad Ali, released on Christmas Day in 2001.

`These are phenomenal holiday numbers,` said Bruce Snyder, president of the 20th Century Fox, which distributed `Marley and Me`. The film tells the story of a family in the making and a dog named Marley who taught them what really matters in life. Meanwhile, Paramount`s `The Curious Case of Benjamin Button`, starring Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett, and Tom Cruise`s World War II thriller `Valkyrie` also performed much better than expected. The two films are expected to have the second and third largest Christmas Day opening grosses. IANS