'Christmas Carol' leads North American box office

LOS ANGELES, Nov 8 (Reuters) - If it's the second weekend in November, it must be Christmas in Hollywood.

Walt Disney Co's (DIS.N: Quote, Profile, Research) high-tech adaptation of Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" topped the North American box office on Sunday with lower-than-expected ticket sales of $31 million.

Industry pundits had forecast a three-day haul in the $35 million-$45 million range for the Jim Carrey vehicle, which was directed by Robert Zemeckis.

But Disney said the opening hit its own target, and it expected the movie to enjoy some longevity in theaters as the Christmas kicks in. This was the case with Zemeckis' 2004 holiday movie "The Polar Express," which employed the same motion-capture technology.

"You know you're in for a marathon rather than a dash," said Chuck Viane, Disney's president of domestic theatrical distribution.

Last weekend's champion, the Michael Jackson concert documentary "This is It" slipped to No. 2 with $14 million, taking its 12-day total to $57.9 million. The foreign total for the movie rose to $128.6 million.

The top-10 contained three other new releases, led by George Clooney's military comedy "The Men Who Stare At Goats" at No. 3 with a solid $13.3 million. It was followed by two thrillers: "The Fourth Kind" at No. 4 with $12.5 million and "The Box" at No. 6 with just $7.9 million.

"This Is It" was released by Columbia Pictures, a unit of Sony Corp (6758.T: Quote, Profile, Research) (SNE.N: Quote, Profile, Research). "The Men Who Stare at Goats" was released by Overture Films, a unit of Liberty Media Corp (LINTA.O: Quote, Profile, Research). "The Fourth Kind" was released by Universal Pictures, a unit of General Electric Co (GE.N: Quote, Profile, Research). "The Box" was released by Warner Bros Pictures, a unit of Time Warner Inc (TWX.N: Quote, Profile, Research).

(Editing by Jackie Frank)