"The Lorax" wins weekend box office, becomes top-grossing film released this year

(CBS/AP) "Dr. Seuss' the Lorax" took the No. 1 spot for the second-straight weekend at the box office,raising its domestic total to $122 million and  making the movie the top-grossing film released this year.

The animated adventure based on the children's book took in a total of $39.1 million over the weekend. Right behind "The Lorax" was Edgar Rice Burroughs' "John Carter" opening with $30.6 million. Not the best start, given the whopping $250 million that Disney reportedly spent to make the star-less  "John Carter," which also earned generally poor reviews that will hurt its long-term prospects.

"We would have hoped for more, considering the larger economics of the film but are still encouraged with how it's been received by audiences that have seen it and hope to see that generate positive word of mouth for the balance of the run," said Dave Hollis, Disney's head of distribution.

"John Carter" casts "Friday Night Lights" co-star Taylor Kitsch in the title role as a 19th century Civil War veteran whisked away to Mars, where he falls for a beautiful princess and becomes a hero in the red planet's own civil war. His  was the most recognizable name in the cast.

The Warner Bros. teen comedy "Project X" held up well in its second weekend with $11.6 million to finish at No. 3 and raise its domestic haul to $40.1 million.

Elizabeth Olsen's horror tale "Silent House," released by Open Road Films, opened modestly at No. 4 with $7 million. Olsen plays a young woman terrorized inside her family's spooky summer home.

Eddie Murphy's comedy "A Thousand Words," a leftover shot in 2008 and finally dumped into theaters by distributor Paramount, was a dud at No. 6 with just $6.4 million.

The movie features Murphy as a fast-talking literary agent and neglectful family man who gets a lesson on the important things in life after discovering he has only a thousand words left to utter before he dies.

Overall, domestic business rose again as studios continued their 2012 box-office roll. Revenues totaled $140.5 million, up 8.7 percent from the same weekend last year, according to Hollywood.com.

Receipts have climbed every weekend this year, with domestic revenues inching above $2 billion so far in 2012, an 18 percent increase over last year's.