By David Germain
The Associated Press

Love between older adults conquered the box office as Jack Nicholson and Diane Keaton's romance, Something's Gotta Give, debuted in the top spot with $17 million.

The previous weekend's top film, The Last Samurai, slipped to second with $14.05 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

The Farrelly brothers' comedy Stuck on You, starring Matt Damon and Greg Kinnear as conjoined twins, opened at No. 3 with $10 million. The teen romance Love Don't Cost a Thing debuted in fourth place with $6.5 million.

The overall box office slipped, with the top 12 movies grossing $83 million, down 8 percent from the same weekend a year ago.

Ticket sales will surge this week with The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, the conclusion of Peter Jackson's adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy classic. The film opens Wednesday.

Return of the King could surpass the $62 million opening weekend for last year's middle chapter, The Two Towers, said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations.

In limited release, a reissue of Two Towers took in $700,000 this past weekend, pushing the film's total gross to $340 million.

Opening Friday is Julia Roberts' Mona Lisa Smile. Christmas week brings Nicole Kidman's Civil War epic Cold Mountain, Steve Martin's comedy Cheaper by the Dozen, Ben Affleck's sci-fi tale Paycheck and a live-action version of Peter Pan.

Though aimed at older adults, Something's Gotta Give scored well among younger crowds, with viewers under 30 accounting for a third of the audience.

In limited release, Tim Burton's tall-tale adventure Big Fish debuted strongly, grossing $215,000 in six theaters for a $35,833 average. The father-son reunion story stars Albert Finney and Jessica Lange.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at North American theaters, according to Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc. Final figures will be released Monday.

1. "Something's Gotta Give," $17 million.

2. "The Last Samurai," $14.05 million.

3. "Stuck on You," $10 million.

4. "Love Don't Cost a Thing," $6.5 million.

5. "The Haunted Mansion," $6.3 million.

6. "Bad Santa," $6.21 million.

7. "Elf," $6.2 million.

8. "Honey," $5.1 million.

9. "Dr. Seuss' the Cat in the Hat," $4.2 million.

10. "Gothika," $2.7 million.