LOS ANGELES — "Beverly Hills Chihuahua" was barking up the right tree with moviegoers, who put the Disney comedy at No. 1 for the weekend with a $29 million debut, according to studio estimates.

Featuring a talking Chihuahua with Drew Barrymore's voice, the family film about a pampered pooch lost in Mexico led a surge of new movies that boosted Hollywood business, which generally has slumped the last two months.

The top-12 movies hauled in $95.4 million, up 42 percent from the same weekend a year ago, when "The Game Plan" was No. 1 with $16.6 million.

"We had a huge weekend," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Media By Numbers. "That's really due to the little Chihuahua. The little dog made a big difference."

The previous weekend's No. 1 movie, the DreamWorks-Paramount thriller "Eagle Eye," slipped to second-place with $17.7 million, raising its total to $54.6 million.

Sony's "Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist," starring Michael Cera and Kat Dennings as teens who fall for each other, had a sturdy No. 3 debut of $12 million.

In narrower release, Bill Maher's documentary "Religulous" opened well, placing No. 10 with $3.5 million in 502 theaters, averaging $6,972.

Estimated ticket sales according to Media By Numbers:

1. "Beverly Hills Chihuahua," $29 million.

2. "Eagle Eye," $17.7 million.

3. "Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist," $12 million.

4. "Nights in Rodanthe," $7.4 million.

5. "Appaloosa," $5 million.

6. "Lakeview Terrace," $4.5 million.

7. "Burn After Reading," $4.08 million.

8. "Fireproof," $4.07 million.

9. "An American Carol," $3.8 million.

10. Religulous, $3.5 million.