The numbers are in for the weekend box office and the talking Chihuahua film was a definite hit with the crowds, if not with critics. Beverly Hills Chihuahua remained at number one after opening last weekend to take in an estimated $17.5 million. New opener horror flick Quarantine was number two at $14 million, and Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe’s cerebral thriller, Body of Lies opened at number three with $13 million. Analysts say that people just aren’t interested in anything close to real-life drama after the recent economic freefall and want some mindless escapism at the movies. There are even stories of adults going to see the talking dog adventure movie on their own:

Disney’s family comedy “Beverly Hills Chihuahua,” with Drew Barrymore providing the voice of the pooch, was the No. 1 flick for the second-straight weekend with $17.5 million, raising its 10-day total to $52.5 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

“Beverly Hills Chihuahua” is the only light comedy in a market heavy on drama. Chuck Viane, Disney’s head of distribution, said movie-goers may be turning to the perky pooch to help forget the market free-fall on Wall Street.

“This is only word-of-mouth coming back to us from theaters. I don’t have any statistical proof. But they’re telling us we’re getting more unaccompanied-by-children adults coming on their own. They’re looking for a little entertainment,” Viane said. “The axiom we’ve always lived by is funny is money. People come out for comedy. They love to sit back and let someone give them a couple of hours of escapism.”

The weekend’s No. 2 flick _ the fright film “Quarantine,” which debuted with $14.2 million _ filled the escapism needs for the horror crowd. The Sony Screen Gems release centers on a contagion that turns an apartment building’s tenants into flesh-hungry monsters.

“It’s probably the perfect kind of movie for today’s climate,” said Rory Bruer, Sony head of distribution. “Let’s just get away from the news, from all that’s going on, and go someplace else, and this is something that’ll take you someplace else.”

The marquee trio of Leonardo DiCaprio, Russell Crowe and director Ridley Scott had to settle for third-place with their terrorism thriller “Body of Lies,” which had a $13.1 million debut. The Warner Bros. film centers on a CIA operative hunting the terrorist responsible for bombings around the world.

[AP via Huffington Post]

There’s always DVD sales for Body of Lies, which was expected to do at least 40% better in its opening weekend. There’s not a huge difference in the critics opinions for any of the top three movies. Beverly Hills Chihuahua gets a 42% aggregate rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics calling it “shallow”, “generic”, and “innoffensive” family fare.Quarantine is rated the best at 67%. Some call it “brutally realistic,” and an edge of your seat thriller. Body of Lies falls somewhere in between the two with 52%. It’s being blasted as too long and too dependent on DiCaprio and Crowe to carry an implausible overly-slick spy film. It clocks in at two hours and eight minutes, and people would rather spend that time in a fantasy world where cute dogs talk and go on adventures.

Clint Eastwood’s seemingly depressing 20s kidnap film, Changeling starring Angelina Jolie, opens October 24 in limited release and is out in general release on Halloween. It faces competition from Max Payne, The Secret Life of Bees, Saw V, and Zack and Miri Make a Porno. The 3D version of The Nightmare before Christmas also comes out October 24. You can kind of predict which films are going to clean up at the box office and which ones people will avoid in favor of lighter fare.