Lions Gate Films PG-13 rated comedy thriller The Cat's Meow expanded in its fourth week to a quiet ESTIMATED $0.34 million (-32%) at 153 theaters (+18 theaters; $2,245 per theater). Its cume is approximately $1.3 million.

Directed by Peter Bogdanovich, it stars Kirsten Dunst, Eddie Izzard, Edward Herrmann, Cary Elwes, Joanna Lumley and Jennifer Tilly.

Castle Rock Entertainment's R rated thriller The Salton Sea via Warner Bros. added a few theaters in its second week with an slow ESTIMATED $0.077 million (-53%) at 17 theaters (+2 theaters; $4,555 per theater). Its cume is approximately $0.3 million.

Directed by D. J. Caruso, it stars Val Kilmer, Vincent D'Onofrio, Doug Hutchison and Peter Sarsgaard.

INTERNATIONAL

Universal's international division reported Sunday morning that About A Boy finished its first week in the U.K. in first place with a 33 percent share of the market. This weekend for two days its gross was $1.3 million on 445 playdates with a 30 percent market share, putting it 28 percent ahead of the U.K. opening of Panic Room. In nine days, About A Boy has grossed an outstanding $10 million.

The Scorpion King opened in four more countries this weekend, including France. Universal said it would not have box office details from France until Monday, but that it already knew the picture had opened well last Wednesday, grossing $307,000 on 334 playdates.

Looking at holdover business for The Scorpion King, the studio said it had a great day in Spain on Saturday, moving up to first place with $560,000 on 275 playdates. That was down only 12 percent from its opening weekend and slightly ahead of Blade 2 with $530,000.

In the U.K., The Scorpion King moved up one rung to fourth place with $508,000 on 383 playdates in its third weekend. Its 16-day cume is $5.5 million. In Germany, it grossed $820,000 on 662 playdates and held on to third place, following the opening of Blade 2 with $2.7 million and behind the third week of Panic Room with $845,000. Its ten day cume is $3.3 million.

In Brazil it grossed $390,000 on 199 playdates, holding on to first place in the face of openings by Count of Monte Cristo, Not Another Teen Movie, High Crimes and Behind the Sun. In Argentina The Scorpion King grossed $30,000 on 50 playdates and ranked second, just behind the opening of Time Machine with $33,000. In Mexico it grossed $480,000 on 300 playdates and was third behind the openings of Time Machine and La Habitacion Azil.

In Australia, The Scorpion King in its third weekend grossed $206,000 on 185 playdates, placing seventh. Its 17-day cume is $3 million. The Scorpion King's international cume passed $40 million this weekend with 10 countries still to open, including Japan on June 8.

Forty Days and Forty Nights moved into its second week in Australia, grossing $275,000 on 147 playdates. It ranked fifth with a cume of $1.3 million.

Big Fat Liar had its first international opening this weekend in Mexico. With a small release of 50 prints, its two day gross was $73,000.

Ali G Inda House, Universal's latest film from Working Title, had an excellent opening Thursday in The Netherlands. Its opening day gross of $66,000 on 50 playdates was equal to how American Pie 2 had opened there. Ali G is also in release in the U.K., where it has grossed a terrific $14.6 million.

WEEKEND COMPARISONS

Key films--those grossing more than $500,000-- ook in approximately $158.01 million, up about 51.08 percent from last year when they totaled $104.59 million. Key films this weekend were up about 96.53 percent from the previous weekend of this year's total of $80.4 million.

Last year, Universal's opening week of The Mummy Returns was first with $68.14 million at 3,401 theaters ($240,035 per theater); and Warner Bros. and Franchise Films' second week of Driven was second with $6.0 million at 2,905 theaters ($2,066 per theater). The top two films one year ago grossed $74.1 million. This year, the top two films grossed an ESTIMATED $123.6 million.