Chihuahua holds on to US top spot

Beverly Hills Chihuahua has held on to the top spot at the US box office for the second week running.

Ridley Scott's new thriller Body Of Lies – starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe – had to settle for third place, while horror movie Quarantine claimed the number two position.

Featuring the voice of Drew Barrymore as the voice of a pampered pet who gets lost in Mexico, Beverly Hills Chihuahua made $17.5 million (£10.2 million) in its second weekend of release to stay at the top of the chart.

Dan Fellman, head of distribution for Warner Bros, said a gloomy economic week may have been responsible for Body Of Lies' disappointing opening.

"The nation suffered such an economic loss this week that the mood of our audience was such that they were probably looking for a little more escapism than to see a movie on terrorism," he told Variety.

Scott also directed Russell Crowe in Gladiator, for which he won an Oscar for best actor.

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