The highly-anticipated film adaptation Precious, based on the novel "Push" by Sapphire, took in a record $1.8 million in its first weekend, according to Variety Monday.

The drama, starring Mo'Nique and newcomer Gabourey Sidibe (and featuring supporting roles by Paula Patton and Mariah Carey) garnered an average of $100,000 per screen, a record for a film opening in under 50 theaters.

Find out what Mariah Carey had to say about de-glamorizing for her role in Precious.

Jim Carrey's holiday film A Christmas Carol held the top domestic spot for feature films, grossing an estimated $31 million out of the gate its first weekend. The Robert Zemeckis-directed adaptation bested Michael Jackson's $14 million grossing posthumous concert documentary, This Is It, now in its second week in theaters.

Check out photos from Michael Jackson's This Is It

In her first feature film outing since last summer's tearjerker My Sister's Keeper, Cameron Diaz failed to bring fans to the theaters for her thriller The Box. Her Warner Bros. horror flick, costarring James Marsden, took in a reported $4 million less than Keeper, which grossed $12 million in its opening weekend last July on nearly as many screens.

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