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The international box office was up last weekend after a steady three-week decline. Helping matters was the record setting debut of Samiy luchshiy film (The Very Best Film). The Russian language release set the opening weekend benchmark in its native land with a stunning $16.5 million from 702 screens. That thumped Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End's $14 million start and bested the debut of the country's highest grosser, Ironiya sudby. Prodolzhenie (now at $49 million). In the Ukraine, The Very Best Film scored the second highest opening ever, beneath At World's End with $1.3 million debut from 88 screens. The picture opened in Estonia ($42,843 from 5), Latvia ($71,917 from 4) and Lithuania ($111,599) as well and, while all were first place debuts, they were not in the league of the Russian and Ukrainian starts.

Burbank, California—How sad and shocking that actor Heath Ledger was found dead in his Manhattan home. I first noticed him eight years ago in a movie starring Mel Gibson as a barbaric American called The Patriot; it was a long, brutal picture improved by Ledger's turn as an idealistic American revolutionary. Ang LeeLasse Hallström

The foreign box office cooled over the weekend, but I Am Legend continued to be on fire, grossing $28.7 million from 56 territories for a $262.5 million total. The sci-fi horror notched eight No. 1 debuts, including $4.3 million from 510 screens in Mexico, which was superior to past titles like Troy, 300 and Hitch. In Brazil, I Am Legend scored $2.8 million from 423 screens, more than doubling Hitch, and, in Chile, it took $312,762 from 38. Germany was the picture's top holdover. Despite falling 52 percent, it made a remarkable $5.2 million in its second frame there, pushing its total to $17.8 million. In Italy, it was also impressive, maintaining the top spot with $4.3 million for a $15.3 million total. The movie's next major release is in Russia and Feb. 7.

After months of hype, Cloverfield lumbered to the top of the weekend box office, raking in an estimated $46 million over the four-day Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend. 27 Dresses opened strongly in second place, while The Bucket List had a healthy hold, contributing to one of the busiest MLK frames on record. James MarsdenWoody Allen

Burbank, California—United Artists' thought-provoking Lions for Lambs may have tanked in theaters but the revamped motion picture studio's deal with the striking writers' union looks like a smart move in today's changing times. Besides Tom Cruise's and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's UA, the Writers Guild of America (WGA) agreed to terms with businesses owned by comedian David Letterman and director Doug Liman. Reese Witherspoon

While the Top Five remained about the same over the weekend and several new pictures populated the rest of the Top 40, the big news came from Russia, where a new top-grossing movie of all time was crowned. Ironiya sudby. Prodolzhenie (The Irony of Fate 2), a family adventure comedy based on a popular Soviet TV series, reached $44.6 million, smashing past former champ Day Watch's $32 million. Additionally, it has made $3.9 million in the Ukraine, over $200,000 in Estonia, $413,600 in Latvia and $509,088 in Lithuania, though there is currently no scheduled release beyond ex-Soviet territories. Will Smith

The bouncy, innocuous Mad Money is a light, cute little caper about three women who decide to rob the Federal Reserve Bank in Kansas City, Missouri. While this crime comedy's calculations do not quite reconcile with reality, the romp adds a twist with the welcome notion that, though money doesn't buy happiness, it is the means to that end. Queen LatifahKatie Holmes

The weekend box office was robust again, propelled by some hearty holdovers and vigorous upstarts The Bucket List and First Sunday. Jack NicholsonMorgan FreemanIce Cube

While the holidays brought commercial cheer domestically, the foreign box office was busy but relatively less potent. The big American movies generally don't rollout fully until January and February, which are two of international's biggest months. I Am Legend, National Treasure: Book of Secrets and Aliens Vs. Predator - Requiem, for instance, have opened in less than 40 markets or a third of the world, while movies like Charlie Wilson's War, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Juno, There Will Be Blood, The Kite Runner and No Country for Old Men are just getting started.

Rob Reiner's The Bucket List is another high-quality picture from one of Hollywood's underrated directors. Jack Nicholson plays a businessman who owns a hospital corporation—one that stresses patient turnover—opposite Morgan Freeman as a middle class family man.

Avoiding the franchise fumble of many first sequels, National Treasure: Book of Secrets is an enjoyable follow-up that largely capitalizes on the original's attractive qualities. Not as strong as the first movie, the second at least does not default on the premise: family adventure tinged with a sense of history. Jon TurteltaubTed ElliottTerry RossioNicolas CageJon VoightHelen Mirren

Last year ended strongly with a charge led by National Treasure: Book of Secrets, I Am Legend and Alvin and the Chipmunks, and the good times continued to roll on the first weekend of 2008. The three pictures were joined in the upper echelon by Juno, which was robust in its expansion after a bustling platform release.

After last weekend's boom, the box office continued to bustle over the Christmas frame, which was among the highest grossing ever. New release National Treasure: Book of Secrets and second weekend holdovers I Am Legend and Alvin and the Chipmunks led the charge, while other pictures were generally subdued. Tom HanksJulia RobertsTim BurtonJohnny Depp

The perfect movie for Christmas is the surprisingly progressive P.S. I Love You. Despite drawbacks and more clichés than an office Christmas party, this romance starring Hilary Swank works on every level—and it hits home for the holidays. Gerard ButlerRichard LaGraveneseLisa KudrowKathy Bates

The international box office perked up over the weekend with the arrival of I Am Legend, several local productions and the expansion of Bee Movie. Overall business of the Top 40 movies was up a massive 23 percent from the previous frame, and The Golden Compass led the way with $29.8 million from 44 territories. The fantasy's 41 percent drop was cause for concern, however, as it added 17 new markets. Steep drops like in the United Kingdom (59 percent), Singapore (67 percent) and Spain (51 percent) were alarming for the picture's already disappointing box office, but it held relatively well in France (down 39 percent) and Germany (off 30 percent).

A sci-fi horror about the last man on earth had by far the most populated opening since the summer and, along with some hyper rodents, injected life into an otherwise moribund holiday box office. Driven by I Am Legend and Alvin and the Chipmunks, the weekend was the most attended mid-December frame on record. That's a remarkable turnaround after a largely unappealing fall and holiday slate led to weeks of the lowest attendance in a decade or more. Will SmithTom Hanks

Although it had a disappointing showing domestically, The Golden Compass was more successful overseas in its debut this past weekend with $51 million from 27 markets but still a far cry from fellow fantasies like Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings. In many nations, Compass had openings in line with The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, but there were some depressing starts as well, such as in Finland (a third-ranked $406,423), the Netherlands ($604,842 from 103 screens) and South Africa ($236,363 from 77).

The dull, disgusting star vehicle I Am Legend would be more accurately labeled I Am Lamentable. There are plot spoilers ahead so if you go into convulsions when the plot is described, stop reading; this stinker merits a major disclaimer that requires divulgence. Will SmithMel GibsonEmma Thompson

Not the oasis it was intended to be, The Golden Compass failed to guide the box office out of the desert. A dispirited response to the fantasy adaptation combined with a largely pathetic group of holdovers led to the least attended early December frame in 13 years.

Uneven but interesting, Atonement recalls a Merchant/Ivory production; British, slow and overdressed. Aided by a visual flourish and an intellectual hook late in the process, it nearly compensates for the flaws. Romola GaraiKeira Knightley