"We thought this was a movie that could play as a commercial movie, not as an arthouse movie, to Spanish-language audiences," said Peter Rice, Fox Searchlight president.

The movie started mainly in theaters catering to Spanish speakers. But it also enjoyed strong word-of-mouth publicity in cinemas dominated by English-language crowds, where business picked up strongly over the course of the weekend, said Weinstein Co. co-founder Harvey Weinstein, whose had found success with foreign-language films such as "Cinema Paradiso" and "Amelie" when he ran Miramax.

Fox Searchlight and the Weinstein Co. plan to gradually roll "Under the Same Moon" out to more theaters in the coming weeks.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Media By Numbers LLC.

1. "Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who," $25.1 million.

2. "Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns," $20 million.

3. "Shutter," $10.7 million.

4. "Drillbit Taylor," $10.2 million.

5. "10,000 B.C.," $8.7 million.

6. "Never Back Down," $4.9 million.

7. "College Road Trip," $4.6 million.

8. "The Bank Job," $4.1 million.

9. "Vantage Point," $3.8 million.

10. "Under the Same Moon," $2.6 million.