The weekend before Labor Day sees a Hong Kong film take the box office.
The Chinese indie Hero, which stars Jet Li and Zhang Ziyi as high-flyin’ Chinese swordsman, opened in the top spot this weekend with $17.8 million, while that sneaky snake tale Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid debuted in second with $13.2 million. The sequel, however, didn’t surpass the original Anaconda, which opened in 1997 with $16.6 million.
The Aaron Eckhart/Ben Kingsley serial killer drama Suspect Zero also opened this weekend, but much further down the list, coming in 10th place with $3.4 million. Other newcomer Superbabies: Baby Geniuses 2 failed to make the top 10, debuting with a piddly $3.3 million.
This week, the Top 12 films grossed an estimated $84.7 million, down 31.11 percent from last weekend’s $123 million take and slightly down 0.11 percent from last year’s draw of $84.8 million.
The top three films at the box office this time last year were New Line’s R-rated Freddy vs. Jason, which took the No. 1 spot in its second week with $13.1 million in 3,014 theaters, averaging $4,364 per theater; Sony’s PG-13 S.W.A.T., which took second in its third week with $10.5 million in 3,204 theaters, averaging $3,303 per theater; and Buena Vista’s R-rated Open Range, which came in third in its second week with $9.4 million in 2,163 theaters, averaging $4,383 per theater.
BOX OFFICE TOP 10, ESTIMATES: (Source: Exhibitor Relations, Inc.)
No. 1: Hero (Miramax, PG-13)
Gross: $17.8 million
Weeks opened: NEW!
Theaters: 2,031
Per-theater average: $8,765
No. 2: Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid (Sony Pictures, PG-13)
Gross: $13.2 million
Weeks opened: NEW!
Theaters: 2,905
Per-theater average: $4,544
No. 3: Without a Paddle (Paramount, PG-13)
Gross: $8.7 million (-36%)
Weeks opened: 2
Theaters: 2,730 (unchanged)
Per-theater average: $3,187
Cume to date: $27.8 million
No. 4: The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement (Buena Vista, G)
Gross: $8 million (-38%)
Weeks opened: 3
Theaters: 3,331 (-159)
Per-theater average: $2,422
Cume to date: $75 million
No. 5: Exorcist: The Beginning (Warner Bros., R)
Gross: $6.7 million
Weeks opened: 2
Theaters: 2,813 (+10)
Per-theater average: $2,394
Cume to date: $30.8 million
No. 6: Collateral (DreamWorks, R)
Gross: $6.3 million (-38%)
Weeks opened: 4
Theaters: 2,728 (-301)
Per-theater average: $2,309
Cume to date: $80 million
No. 7: Open Water (Lions Gate, R)
Gross: $5 million (-56%)
Weeks opened: 4
Theaters: 2,709 (unchanged)
Per-theater average: $1,846
Cume to date: $23.5 million
No. 8: Alien vs. Predator (20th Century Fox, R)
Gross: $4.8 million (-61%)
Weeks opened: 3
Theaters: 2,880 (-521)
Per-theater average: $1,667
Cume to date: $72 million
No. 9: The Bourne Supremacy (Universal Pictures, PG-13)
Gross: $4.6million (-29%)
Weeks opened: 6
Theaters: 2,079 (-453)
Per-theater average: $2,213
Cume to date: $157.7 million
No. 10: Suspect Zero (Paramount Pictures, R)
Gross: $3.4 million
Weeks opened: NEW!
Theaters: 1,500
Per-theater average: $2,267
