'Juno' comes in third at box office

Los Angeles — (AP) - The film written by a former Minneapolis City Pages blogger has come in third at the box office this weekend.

"Juno," Diablo Cody's comedy about a pregnant 16-year-old who looks for a couple to adopt her child, brought in $16.2 million this weekend.

It came behind Disney's "National Treasure: Book of Secrets" and Will Smith's sci-fi smash "I Am Legend."

Featuring Ellen Page as the whip-smart pregnant teen, "Juno" has grabbed critical praise and is building momentum as Hollywood's awards season progresses.

"It's the coolest little success story coming out of 2007," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box office tracker Media By Numbers. "It's playing like a mini-blockbuster right now."

The film has three nominations for Sunday's Golden Globes, including one for best screenplay.

With $52 million already in the bank, "Juno" is on its way to becoming Fox Searchlight's biggest hit ever, approaching "Little Miss Sunshine" at $59.9 million and "Sideways" at $71.5 million.

"Juno" started off in larger cities but now has caught fire in smaller towns such as Columbus, Ohio, Wilkes-Barre, Pa., and Cedar Rapids, Iowa, said Peter Rice, Fox Searchlight president.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)