HOLLYWOOD - Pixar/Disney's Monsters, Inc. is setting the bar high for next week's release of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. The film
earned an estimated $46.2 million over the weekend, bringing its ten-day
take to $122.8 million, unsurpassed by any previous animated release
during a similar period.
Shallow Hal, starring Gwyneth Paltrow
and Jack Black, opened in second place with a better-than-expected $23.2
million, while the weekend's only other new film to open wide, Heist,
took in a disappointing $8 million despite mostly positive reviews,
winding up in fifth place.
The top ten films for the weekend, according to studio estimates
compiled by Exhibitor Relations:
Monsters, Inc., $46.2
million; 2. Shallow Hal, $23.2 million; 3. The One, $9.1
million; 4. Domestic Disturbance, $8.5 million; 5. Heist,
$8 million; 6. K-PAX, $6.2 million; 7. Thirteen Ghosts, $4.1
million; 8. Life as a House, $3.6 million; 9. Riding in Cars With Boys, $2.1 million; 10. Training Day, $1.9 million.