LOS ANGELES (AFP) - Jennifer Aniston scored a victory over ex-husband Brad Pitt at the North American box office with her new dramatic comedy "Marley & Me", final figures showed Monday. The former "Friends" actress and funnyman Owen Wilson play a married couple struggling to get to grips with a troublesome dog in a movie adaptation of journalist John Grogan's best-selling 2005 book. The combination of America's sweetheart Aniston and a labrador proved irresistible to movie-goers, who propelled it to spot in the standings with 36.4 million dollars, box office tracker Exhibitor Relations said. Since opening on Christmas Day, the film has earned a cool 50.7 million. In second place over the weekend was "Bedtime Stories." The Adam Sandler comedy about a janitor whose dreams begin to come true brought in 27.5 million dollars in its opening weekend. Pitt's new film "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" " regarded as an early front-runner for honors at next year's Oscars, posted a solid 26.9 million dollars on its opening weekend. The period drama stars Pitt as a man who ages in reverse and his efforts to find love with his long-time sweetheart, played by Cate Blanchett. Tom Cruise's Nazi epic "Valkyrie," about a plot by German officers to assassinate Adolf Hitler, came in fourth in its debut weekend with 21 million dollars. The comedy "Yes Man," featuring Jim Carrey as a man who changes his life by agreeing to everything, raked in 16.7 million dollars for fifth place in its second weekend at theatres. The drama "Seven Pounds" starring Will Smith as a man haunted by a secret pulled in $13.2m, while the animated flick "The Tale of Despereaux," about a big-eared mouse with great curiosity and ambitions followed in seventh place with $8.9m. Science fiction thriller "The Day the Earth Stood Still," dropped to eighth place after its number-one debut four weeks ago, earning $7.7m. The Fox remake of a 1951 cult classic stars Keanu Reeves as an alien that comes to earth. "The Spirit," which chronicles the return-from-the-dead of a rookie cop as a supernatural hero, debuted in 9th place with 6.5m dollars. Rounding out the top 10 was "Doubt," starring Meryl Streep as a nun who confronts molestation in the Catholic church, with $5.3m.