A rambunctious lab retriever was Top Dog at the movies this holiday weekend. "Marley & Me" earned $50.7 million over the 5-day Christmas weekend, including a record for a Christmas Day debut, $14.7M.

Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson may have had top billing on the poster, but there's little doubt the cute dog in all the posters and commercials for the movie, were the big draws for audiences. If there's one thing I know, it's that people love dog films. And this one was a winner.

I don't usually call out Alison & Jeffrey for their choices, but as their producer AND the proud parent of two cute dogs, I have to say they were dead wrong in their review of "Marley & Me."

More on that in a bit. First, the rest of the Top 5.

Brad Pitt's Oscar-touted "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"did stellar biz, earning $38.7 million in its first five days. Stellar reviews and presumably, good word-of-mouth, negated the 2 hour, 47 minute length that limited the number of showings per day. It just edged out Adam Sandler's family flick "Bedtime Stories" - at 99 minutes, nearly half the TRT of 'Button' - which landed in third place with $38M.

Fourth place went to Tom Cruise's comeback vehicle "Valkyrie." The WWII 'Kill Hitler' conspiracy by Bryan Singer took in $29.5M. This movie is a perfect example why early buzz about a movie can be so misleading. All the drama surrounding this picture, from delays in shooting to release date changes to Cruise's 'will he or won't he speak German' hoopla, led some to call this a disaster waiting to happen. Don't let that stuff keep you from seeing a razor-sharp thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat the entire two hours.

Jim Carrey's "Yes Man" brought up the rear of the Top 5 with a $16.6M weekend to boost its total to $49M. Not bad, but not the mega-returns we're used to seeing from a Carrey comedy. Could be his shtick is wearing thin with audiences.

Other notable news: "The Spirit" from comic book legend Frank Miller in his solo directing debut, flopped with a mediocre $10.3M debut. It's the second straight comic book adaptation to flop, following "Punisher: War Zone." Both were distributed by Lionsgate, fyi. Fanboys can now point to March for the next comic book movie, "Watchmen" -- as long as Warner Bros. and Fox can work out their legal issues.

Now back to "Marley & Me." I thought it did a wonderful job capturing the unique bond between a guy and his dog. Is the ending a bit too much for young kids? Yes, it is. But it's also crystallizes how important a dog is to a family. If you don't have dogs, then it may be tough for you to understand, but dog people treat their pooches not as pets, but as part of the family. And 'Marley' nailed that. Of course, it helps to have great source material like John Grogan's book. But my point is, 'Marley & Me' isn't just a silly dog film relying on the cuteness of the title pup to entertain. Go see it. Just don't forget the tissues!