LOS ANGELES - Moviegoers rewarded Jane Fonda's return to the big screen by making "Monster-in-Law" the weekend's top movie, though the comedy was short of a monster hit.

The total box office slump continued for a 12th straight week, but the force is expected to return next week when the final chapter in the Star Wars saga - "Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith," - hits theaters.

"Monster-in-Law," which pits Jennifer Lopez against Fonda as her villainous prospective mother-in-law, took in $24 million, according to studio estimates Sunday. Fonda's first major film role in 15 years was also Lopez's strongest box office opening performance, ahead of 2002's "Maid in Manhattan," which opened with $18.7 million.

1. "Monster-in-Law," $24 million.

2. "Kicking & Screaming," $21 million.

3. "Unleashed," $10.6 million.

4. "Kingdom of Heaven," $9.6 million.

5. "Crash," $7.2 million.

6. "House of Wax," $6.3 million.

7. "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy," $4.8 million.

8. "The Interpreter," $4.4 million.

9. "XXX: State of the Union," $2.2 million.

10. "Mindhunters," $2 million.