The surrogate motherhood comedy, distributed by Universal Pictures, was starred by Tina Fey, as a health-food chain manager who wants to have a kid but learns she is infertile, and Amy Poehler, the surrogate mom.
Second place goes to another comedy, Warner Brothers' "Harold and Kumar Escape Guantanamo." The movie is the sequel to 2004 "Harry and Kumar go to White Castle," starring John Cho and Kal Penn, with 14.5 million dollars.
"Comedy is definitely king right now," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of the box office tracking company Media by Numbers LLC. "Audiences are definitely showing an interest in going to the movies and having a good time and having a laugh."
According to reports, more than two-thirds of "Baby Mama"'s audiences were female, while "Harold and Kumar Escape Guantanamo" lured the same percentage of male moviegoers.
"Sorry, guys, but this was a ladies' weekend," said Nikki Rocco, distribution chief for Universal Pictures. Tina Fey "is a real talent. She's showing she can do TV and the movies really well."
"The Forbidden Kingdom," the martial arts adventure starring Jackie Chan and Jet Li, dropped to third spot with 11.2 million dollar.
The followings are the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters by Media By Numbers LLC:
1. "Baby Mama," 18.3 million dollars.
2. "Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay," 14.6 million dollars.
3. "The Forbidden Kingdom," 11.2 million dollars.
4. "Forgetting Sarah Marshall," 11 million dollars.
5. "Nim's Island," 4.5 million dollars.
6. "Prom Night," 4.4 million dollars.
7. "21," 4 million dollars.
8. "88 Minutes," 3.6 million dollars.
9. "Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who!," 2.4 million dollars.
10. "Deception," 2.2 million dollars.
