HOLLYWOOD - Moviegoers turned up their noses at new fare and headed straight for the dessert to make American Pie 2 their favorite choice for the third week in a row. The Universal film grossed $12.5 million, to bring its total past the $100-million mark. New Line's Rush Hour 2remained close behind in second place with $11.6 million. Of a slew of new releases only Miramax/Dimension's Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back performed reasonably, earning $11 million. Disney's Bubble Boy, on the other hand, barely eked out $2 million and failed even to make the top-ten list. The top ten films over the weekend, according to final figures compiled by Exhibitor Relations (figures in parentheses represent total gross to date): 1. American Pie 2, Universal, $12,517,475, 3 Wks. ($109,337,940); 2. Rush Hour 2, New Line, $11,582,818, 4 Wks. ($183,421,781); 3. Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Miramax/Dimension, $11,018,543, (New); 4. The Others, Miramax/Dimension, $8,565,868, 3 Wks. ($46,146,680); 5. Rat Race, Paramount, $8,110,038, 2 Wks. ($25,437,381); 6. Summer Catch, Warner Bros., $7,018,593, (New); 7. The Princess Diaries, Disney, $6,602,516, 4 Wks. ($82,391,618); 8. Captain Corelli's Mandolin, Universal, $4,005,815, 2 Wks. ($14,092,095); 9. John Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars, Sony, $3,804,452, (New); 10. Planet of the Apes, 20th Century Fox, $3,586,225, 5 Wks. ($167,842,258).
Although the box-office total slumped to less than $100 million for the first time this summer--the top 12 films earned $81.7 million--the result was nevertheless 8.7 percent above the same weekend last year, Exhibitor Relations said.