The Rock passes ’Kingdom’ at box office

LOS ANGELES - Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson had the winning game plan at the box office. Disney's "The Game Plan," starring Johnson as a football quarterback whose bachelor lifestyle is disrupted by the arrival of a daughter he never knew he had, opened as the top weekend flick with $22.7 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

The weekend had looked like it would be a showdown between "The Game Plan" and Universal's Middle East thriller "The Kingdom," which stars Jamie Foxx and Jennifer Garner.

But "The Kingdom" fell short, debuting at No. 2 with a solid $17.7 million.

The previous weekend's top movie, Sony's action tale "Resident Evil: Extinction," fell a steep 66 percent from its opening-weekend gross, finishing in third place with $8 million and raising its total to $36.8 million.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Media By Numbers LLC. Final figures will be released Monday.

1. "The Game Plan," $22.7 million.

2. "The Kingdom," $17.7 million.

3. "Resident Evil: Extinction," $8 million.

4. "Good Luck Chuck," $6.3 million.

5. "3:10 to Yuma," $4.2 million.

6. "The Brave One," $3.8 million.

7. "Mr. Woodcock," $3 million.

8. "Eastern Promises," $2.9 million.

9. "Sydney White," $2.7 million.

10. "Across the Universe," $2.05 million.