HOLLYWOOD - The box office competition was put through the Ring-er this weekend.The horror sequel The Ring Two easily opened in the top spot with a respectable $36 million, pushing last week's champ, the CGI-animated Robots, down to second place with $21.8 million. Disney's 'tweener flick Ice Princess, meanwhile, debuted this weekend at No. 4 with a not-so-regal $7 million take.
The original The Ring, based on a Japanese hit, opened small in 2002 with $15 million, but, through word-of-mouth, became a surprise success, grossing a total of $129 million domestically.
"Sequels just don't play the same way. You have to expect a good drop," Jim Tharp, head of distribution for DreamWorks, which released both Ring flicks, told the Associated Press. "Obviously, we would hope to get that $100 million club, but we don't do any of those projections this early in the game."
This weekend, the Top 12 films grossed an estimated $108.37 million, up 4.76 percent from last weekend's $103.4 million take and up .05 percent from last year's draw of $108.31 million.
The Top Three films at the box office this time last year were: Universal's R-rated horror remake Dawn of the Dead, which opened at No. 1 with $26.7 million in 2,745 theaters, averaging $9,735 per theater; Newmarket's R-rated The Passion of the Christ, which dropped to second place in its fourth week with $19.4 million in 3,250 theaters, averaging $5,974 per theater; and Warner Bros.' PG-13 Taking Lives, which debuted in third place with $11.4 million in 2,705 theaters, averaging $4,236 per theater.
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BOX OFFICE TOP 10, ESTIMATES:
(Source: Exhibitor Relations, Inc.)
No. 1: The Ring Two (DreamWorks, PG-13)
• Gross: $36 million
• Weeks opened: NEW!
• Theaters: 3,332
• Per-theater average: $10,804
No. 2: Robots (20th Century Fox, PG)
• Gross: $21.8 million (-39%)
• Weeks opened: 2
• Theaters: 3,776 (unchanged)
• Per-theater average: $5,780
• Cume to date: $66.8 million
No. 3: The Pacifier (Buena Vista, PG)
• Gross: $12.5 million (-31%)
• Weeks opened: 3
• Theaters: 3,181 (+15)
• Per-theater average: $3,943
• Cume to date: $72.2 million
No. 4: Ice Princess (Buena Vista, G)
• Gross: $7 million
• Weeks opened: NEW!
• Theaters: 2,501
• Per-theater average: $2,804
No. 5: Hitch (Sony Pictures, PG-13)
• Gross: $6.6 million (-25%)
• Weeks opened: 6
• Theaters: 2,703 (-272)
• Per-theater average: $2,442
• Cume to date: $159.4 million
No. 6: Be Cool (MGM, PG-13)
• Gross: $5.8 million (-43%)
• Weeks opened: 3
• Theaters: 2,660 (-556)
• Per-theater average: $2,180
• Cume to date: $47.2 million
No. 7: Hostage (Miramax, R)
• Gross: $5.7 million (-43%)
• Weeks opened: 2
• Theaters: 2,183 (+60)
• Per-theater average: $2,656
• Cume to date: $19.3 million
No. 8: Million Dollar Baby (Warner Bros., PG-13)
• Gross: $4 million (-21%)
• Weeks opened: 14
• Theaters: 2,210 (-165)
• Per-theater average: $1,846
• Cume to date: $90 million
No. 9: Diary of a Mad Black Woman (Lions Gate, PG-13)
• Gross: $3.5 million (-28%)
• Weeks opened: 4
• Theaters: 1,279 (-326)
• Per-theater average: $2,737
• Cume to date: $47.7 million
No. 10: Constantine (Warner Bros., R)
• Gross: $2.3 million(-40%)
• Weeks opened: 5
• Theaters: 1,670 (-500)
• Per-theater average: $1,377
• Cume to date: $70.3 million
OTHER OPENINGS
Melinda and Melinda (Fox Searchlight, PG-13)
• Gross: $74,048
• Weeks opened: NEW!
• Theaters: 1
• Per-theater average: $74,048