"Tropic Thunder" holds off the competition to retain
the box office crown, Batman still rules overseas.

SCRIPT: "Tropic Thunder" retained the No. 1 spot at the box
office for a second straight week, narrowly holding off the sorority-themed
college romp "House Bunny." The action comedy which stars Robert
Downey Jr, Ben Stiller and Jack Black, took in just over 16 million dollars
(USD) in the U.S. and Canada.

Meanwhile, "House Bunny," debuted at No. 2 with ticket sales of
15 million dollars. The comedy stars Anna Faris as a former Playboy playmate
who becomes house mother to socially inept sorority sisters after being cast
out of the Playboy mansion.

In third place was "Death Race." The film, loosely based on the
cult classic 1975's "Death Race 2000," stars Jason Statham as a
former Nascar champion and ex-con who is framed for his wife's murder and
forced by a prison warden to compete in a brutal winner-take-all race.

The blockbuster Batman sequel "The Dark Knight" shows signs of
slowing down domestically, slipping from last week's No. 2 slot to No. 4 as
ticket sales tumbled 37 percent.

Overseas the film continues to be a force, finishing at top spot at the
foreign box office and grossing nearly three times its closest competitor's
take.

"Mamma Mia!" also continues its impressive run internationally.
The Abba inspired musical scored generously in the U.K., where is now stands
as the 11th-biggest film to ever to play that country.

In Los Angeles, I'm John Russell for Reuters.