“21,” the Columbia Pictures release about a team of math geniuses assembled by a professor (Kevin Spacey, right) to beat the Las Vegas blackjack tables, hauled in an estimated $23.7 million in its debut weekend at North American theaters. It ousted “Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who” from the No. 1 ranking after a two-week reign. “Horton” (20th Century Fox), in second place, grossed $17.4 million to swell its three-week total to $117.2 million, according to the box-office tracking company Media by Numbers. Third place went to the satirical “Superhero Movie” (MGM), which drew $9.5 million in its opening weekend. “Tyler Perry’s Meet the Browns” (Lionsgate), last weekend’s second-ranking film, dropped to fourth place with $7.7 million its second week, followed by another comedy, “Drillbit Taylor” (Paramount), with $5.8 million in its second week.
