Kevin Spacey‘s new “sci-fi” pic K-PAX rocketed to the top spot this weekend, earning an admirable $17.5 million in its first week of release. The film, co-starring Jeff Bridges, about a man claiming to be from another planet, was shown in 2541 theaters.
“We definitely took number-one this week,” said Jeff Sakson of Universal Pictures. “We did alright.”
K-PAX is rated PG-13.
Coming in at number two was Warner Bros. new fright flick 13 Ghosts, which pulled in $15.65 million in its debut week. Showing in 2781 theaters, the Shannon Elizabeth starrer about a man who inherits a haunted house that contains a hidden fortune is rated R.
Last week’s number one film, 20th Century Fox’s From Hell, fell to number three this weekend. From Hell earned $6.07 million in its second week in theaters, showing at 2335 locations.
“We’re down 45 percent from last week,” said Fox’s Rick Myerson. “But our (cumulative) is up to over 20 million.”
From Hell, a dark drama about the manhunt for Jack the Ripper, stars Johnny Depp and Heather Graham and is rated R.
Coming in at number four was Sony’s PG-13-rated Riding in Cars with Boys, raking in an even $6 million in its second week. The film, starring Drew Barrymore as a struggling single mom, was shown in 2770 theaters. Compared to last week, Cars finished down 42%, earning a cumulative $19 million.
At fifth was Warner Bros. Training Day, a story of a rookie L.A. cop (Ethan Hawke) on his first day of service, earned $5.1 million in its fourth week.
“We’re up to $65 million,” said an enthusiastic Dan Fellman of Warner Bros. Training Day screened in 2328 theaters.
Maintaining decent momentum was MGM’s PG-13-rated Bandits, which snatched the number six position in its third week with $5 million in box office receipts. Starring Bruce Willis and Billy Bob Thornton as unconventional bank robbers, Bandits showed in more theaters than any other movie in the top ten: 3015 locations. Overall, Bandits has grossed $32.1 million.
Miramax’s Serendipity, a romantic comedy starring John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale, finished at number seven after four weeks in release ($3.9 million). The film, rated PG-13 and showing in 2203 theaters, has grossed $40.1 million.
Robert Redford‘s prison drama The Last Castle continued to disappoint, slipping to the eighth spot with $3.7 million (showing in 2270 theaters) after two weeks. The R-rated film, produced by Dreamworks, has earned a cumulative $13 million.
New Line’s Bones, starring Snoop Doggy Dogg as a man who returns from the afterlife to avenge his death, took in just $2.9 million in its first week of release, placing ninth. The film, rated R, was shown in only 847 theaters.
Rounding out the top ten was Chris Kattan‘s (SNL) PG-13 comedy Corky Romano, which, after three weeks in release, scrounged $2.9 million, showing in 2001 theaters. Romano, about a veterinarian-turned-FBI agent, was released by Disney’s Buena Vista Pictures.
