This from Mark Germain at AP:

LOS ANGELES – Jodie Foster’s “Flightplan” stayed aloft at the box office, her airplane thriller taking in $15 million to remain the No. 1 movie over a rush of new wide releases.

The science-fiction tale “Serenity,” a continuation of writer-director Joss Whedon’s cult TV series “Firefly,” debuted in second place with $10.1 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

The overall box office, which had surged since Labor Day, fell back into a slump that has persisted most of the year. The top 12 movies grossed $75.3 million, down 26 percent from the same weekend in 2004, when “Shark Tale” opened with $47.6 million.