Sony Pictures' gambling drama "21" hit the jackpot this weekend at the box office in North America, opening in number one position and taking in about US$23.7 million and Canadian theaters, preliminary figures said yesterday.

The fact-based film tells the story about a team of MIT whiz kids who were inspired by their professor to count cards at blackjack tables in Las Vegas casinos and rake in huge profits. Oscar-winning actor Kevin Spacey plays the coach of these students in the film.

After two weeks at No. 1, 20th Century Fox's animated "Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears A Who" slipped one spot to No. 2 with an estimated US$17.4 million in ticket sales, according to the Los Angeles-based box office tracker Media By Numbers.

"Dr. Seuss' Horton," an adaptation from the book of the beloved children's book writer, became Hollywood's first blockbuster this year to hit the US$100-million mark, with sales of about 117 million dollars over three weeks in release.

Another weekend-debuting film, "Superhero Movie," finished in third place with an estimated US$9.6 million in sales for the MGM picture, while prolific writer-filmmaker Tyler Perry's family comedy "Meet the Browns" slipped two spots to No. 4 with US$7.8 million.

The only other debut movie this weekend, "Stop-Loss," showed continued box office weakness for dramas based on the unpopular Iraq war, as it debuted in eighth place with a paltry US$4.6 million in ticket sales.

Overall business continued to dip for Hollywood this weekend, with the 12 top-selling films taking in about US$90 million, down about 23 percent from the same period last year.