HOLLYWOOD - In the last gasp of summer blockbusters, AVP is MVP at the box office this weekend.Alien vs. Predator, the acid-dripping, green-blood spewing, ultimate confrontation, easily took the No. 1 spot with a healthy $38.2 million, while the fluffy The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement offered more lighthearted family entertainment, debuting in second with $23 million.
AVP is by far the biggest opener for either of the two sci-fi franchises. Alien Resurrection, the fourth in the Alien series, came the closest (and that isn't saying much), opening in 1997 with $16.4 million.
"This continues the trend of combining franchises to very strong box office results," Paul Dergarabedian, president of box office tracker Exhibitor Relations told The Associated Press. "If you're a fan of the Alien movies, you want to see this movie. If you're a fan of Predator, you want to see this movie."
The other newcomer this weekend, the Japanime Yu-Gi-Oh!, appealed to the younger, card-trading set, opening in fourth with $9.3 million.
This week, the Top 12 films grossed an estimated $121.8 million, up 24.51 percent from last weekend's $97.8 million take, but down 8.18 percent from last year's draw of $132.6 million.
The top three films at the box office this time last year were New Line's R-rated Freddy vs. Jason, which opened at No. 1 with $36.4 million in 3,014 theaters, averaging $12,086 per theater; Sony's PG-13 S.W.A.T., came in second in its second week with $18.1 million in 3,220 theaters, averaging $5,628 per theater; and Buena Vista's R-rated Open Range debuted in third place with $14 million in 2,075 theaters, averaging $6,770 per theater.
BOX OFFICE TOP 10, ESTIMATES: (Source: Exhibitor Relations, Inc.)
No. 1: Alien vs. Predator (20th Century Fox, R)
• Gross: $38.2 million
• Weeks opened: NEW!
• Theaters: 3,395
• Per-theater average: $11,267
No. 2: The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement (Buena Vista, G)
• Gross: $23 million
• Weeks opened: NEW!
• Theaters: 3,472
• Per-theater average: $6,632
No. 3: Collateral (DreamWorks, R)
• Gross: $16 million (-35%)
• Weeks opened: 2
• Theaters: 3,205 (+17)
• Per-theater average: $4,992
• Cume to date: $52.4 million
No. 4: Yu-Gi-Oh! (Warner Bros., PG)
• Gross: $9.3 million
• Weeks opened: NEW!
• Theaters: 2,411
• Per-theater average: $3,882
No. 5: The Bourne Supremacy (Universal Pictures, PG-13)
• Gross: $8.3 million (-42%)
• Weeks opened: 4
• Theaters: 2,976 (-328)
• Per-theater average: $2,789
• Cume to date: $139.4 million
No. 6: The Village (Buena Vista, PG-13)
• Gross: $ 7 million (-57%)
• Weeks opened: 3
• Theaters: 3,142 (-591)
• Per-theater average: $2,238
• Cume to date: $99.7 million
No. 7: The Manchurian Candidate (Paramount, R)
• Gross: $6 million (-43%)
• Weeks opened: 3
• Theaters: 2,612 (-255)
• Per-theater average: $2,297
• Cume to date: $47.9 million
No. 8: Little Black Book (Sony Pictures, PG-13)
• Gross: $3.7 million (-48%)
• Weeks opened: 2
• Theaters: 2,445 (unchanged)
• Per-theater average: $1,513
• Cume to date: $14.5 million
No. 9: I, Robot (20th Century Fox, PG-13)
• Gross: $3.5 million (-45%)
• Weeks opened: 5
• Theaters: 2,178 (-628)
• Per-theater average: $1,641
• Cume to date: $133.6 million
No. 10: Spider-Man 2 (Sony Pictures, PG-13)
• Gross: $3.4 million (-37%)
• Weeks opened: 7
• Theaters: 1,907 (-657)
• Per-theater average: $1,783
• Cume to date: $360.8 million