LATimes:

Who says there are no success stories in this summer of Hollywood’s discontent? A little documentary about migrating penguins, of all things, has emerged as an unlikely star among the high-octane explosions, sexy gunplay and over-the-top special effects now dominating the cineplexes.
Around Hollywood, they’re calling it the “Penguin Movie.” And although it doesn’t offer any challenges to Brad Pitt or Tom Cruise in the leading man department, the film nabbed at least one box-office bragging right this weekend: On a per-screen basis, ticket sales for “March of the Penguins” were far more than for any other movie, $26,269, compared with $19,719 for the overall box-office champ, “War of the Worlds.”
And no penguin had to jump on a couch or propose to a starlet to help the movie get there.
Of course, the $8-million film, an engrossing look at Antarctica’s emperor penguins and their arduous 70-mile trek to their breeding ground, is hardly a match for such blockbuster-hopefuls as “Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith,” “Bewitched,” “Batman Begins” and “Mr. & Mrs. Smith,” which have been playing on thousands of screens across the country.