‘The Break-Up’ cashes in on stars’ real-world relationships

? Supported by real-life romantic splits and hookups, Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn’s “The Break-Up” pulled an upset over the mutant world of the “X-Men.”

“The Break-Up” debuted more strongly than expected with $38.1 million to take over as the No. 1 weekend movie from “X-Men: The Last Stand,” which slipped to second place with $34.35 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Aniston’s split from Brad Pitt last year and her reported romance that began with Vaughn while filming “The Break-Up” helped keep the movie in the public eye.

“They’re always in the press,” said Nikki Rocco, head of distribution for Universal, which released “The Break-Up.” “Every time you turn around, somebody’s talking about Jennifer, or Jennifer and Brad, or Jennifer and Vince. It’s not why we made the movie, though.”

“The Break-Up” pulled in about $10 million more than Rocco had expected.

After putting in a record four-day debut of $122.9 million over Memorial Day weekend, 20th Century Fox’s third “X-Men” movie tumbled. The movie’s domestic gross dropped a steep 67 percent from its first weekend.

In its second weekend, the Al Gore documentary “An Inconvenient Truth” went into wider release and broke into the top 10 with $1.33 million, even though it was playing in just 77 theaters.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc.

1. “The Break-Up,” $38.1 million.

2. “X-Men: The Last Stand,” $34.35 million.

3. “Over the Hedge,” $20.6 million.

4. “The Da Vinci Code,” $19.3 million.

5. “Mission: Impossible III,” $4.67 million.

6. “Poseidon,” $3.4 million.

7. “RV,” $3.3 million.

8. “See No Evil,” $2 million.

9. “An Inconvenient Truth,” $1.33 million.

10. “Just My Luck,” $825,000.