The first-time director and cast of unknowns of the acclaimed sci-fi thriller "District 9" have given Hollywood a late-summer box-office boost. The Sony release produced by "Lord of the Rings" director Peter Jackson led the weekend with a $37 million debut, according to studio estimates Sunday.

AP reports:
The movie built audience interest with a clever marketing campaign playing up the theme of prejudice against aliens, including posters instructing citizens to report non-humans and ads on bus benches stating that the seats are for humans only. "Everybody was like, 'What is this?' There was a big question mark in people's minds," said Rory Bruer, head of distribution for Sony. "It did really pique their interest and drove them to the Internet and elsewhere to discover what's going on."

The previous weekend's No. 1 movie, Paramount's "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra," slipped to second place with $22.5 million, raising its 10-day total to $98.8 million. Another sci-fi tale, the Warner Bros. romance "The Time Traveler's Wife" starring Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams, opened a solid No. 3 with $19.2 million. READ MORE

Weekend Box Office
1. "District 9," $37 million.
2. "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra," $22.5 million.
3. "The Time Traveler's Wife," $19.2 million.
4. "Julie & Julia," $12.4 million.
5. "G-Force," $6.9 million.
6. "The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard," $5.4 million.
7. "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," $5.2 million.
8. "The Ugly Truth," $4.5 million.
9. "Ponyo," $3.5 million.
10. "500 Days of Summer," $3 million.