Bruce Willis and Co. may have managed to steer clear of gigantic robots—but they somehow overlooked a group of pesky rats.  Live Free and Die Hard was conveniently positioned one week ahead of this summer’s most anticipated blockbuster…yet squarely in the path of a rodent’s bite.  Nevertheless, the aging John McClane still proved that he can get the job done and earn his keep.

Meanwhile, Ratatouille chewed up the competition with a $47 million dollar debut, although it surprisingly foraged less than most of its Pixar elders (only A Bug’s Life and Toy Story started off lower).  What it did manage to do was help boot Surf’s Up out of the Top 10 leaving room for another Shia LeBeouf feature to transform the landscape in just a matter of days…

1. Ratatouille, Disney, $47,027,395
2. Live Free or Die Hard, Fox, $33,369,559
3. Evan Almighty, Universal, $15,143,945
4. 1408, MGM, $10,662,804
5. Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, Fox, $9,143,876
6. Knocked Up, Universal, $7,302,325
7. Ocean’s Thirteen, Warner Bros., $6,085,959
8. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, Disney, $4,960,368
9. Sicko, Lionsgate, $4,501,712
10. Evening, Focus, $3,501,971