Sony Scores Another Hit with "Pursuit of Happyness"

The Pursuit of Happyness took top box office honors this weekend, making around $27 million. The film is based on the true life rags-to-riches story of Chris Gardner. Will Smith enlisted the help of his own son, Jaden Smith, to play his on-screen son. Happyness marks the 13th Columbia Pictures (division of Sony) film that has reached number one this year, breaking their own record set at 10.

Eragon, a fantasy starring Jeremy Irons, placed second with $23.4 million and Charlotte's Web made $12 million (both films in their first weekend). Mel Gibson's violent Mayan epic, Apocalypto fell all the way to No. 6, only making $7.7 million.

Happyness only cost $50 million in production, and Sony execs couldn't be happier with their record overall studio gross of $1.58 billion this year.