HOLLYWOOD - Another summer blockbuster hits the ground running.The testosterone-laden Troy, based on Homer's epic poem The Iliad and starring Brad Pitt , expectedly dominated the box office this weekend, opening with $45.6 million and pushing last week's huge opener Van Helsing down to second place with $20.1 million.
Troy marks the best opener ever for director Wolfgang Petersen, whose last film, The Perfect Storm, debuted in 2000 with $41.3 million. It also bested the Oscar-winning Gladiator, which also opened in 2000 with $34.8 million.
The Jamie Foxx comedy Breakin' All the Rules also managed to debut in the top five this weekend, coming in fourth with $5.3 million.
This week, the Top 12 films grossed an estimated $100.2 million, down .59 percent from last week's $100.8 million, as well as down 35.17 percent from last year's $154.6 million.
Last year, Warner Bros.' R rated The Matrix Reloaded opened with a massive $91.7 million in 3,603 theaters, averaging $25,472 per theater; Sony Pictures' PG rated comedy Daddy Day Care held onto second in its second week with $18.8 million at 3,408 theaters with a $5,540 per theater average; and 20th Century Fox's PG-13 rated actioner X2: X-Men United dropped to third its third week with $17.3 million at 3,490 theaters with a $4,957 per theater average.
BOX OFFICE TOP 10, ESTIMATES (Source: Exhibitor Relations, Inc.)
No. 1: Troy (Warner Bros., R)
• Gross: $45.6 million
• Weeks opened: NEW!
• Theaters: 3,411
• Per-theater average: $13,373
No. 2: Van Helsing (Universal, PG-13)
• Gross: $20.1 million (-61%)
• Weeks opened: 2
• Theaters: 3,580 (+5)
• Per-theater average: $5,615
• Cume to date: $84.5 million
No. 3: Mean Girls (Paramount Pictures, PG-13)
• Gross: $10.1 million (-26%)
• Weeks opened: 3
• Theaters: 3,015 (+43)
• Per-theater average: $3,350
• Cume to date: $55.3 million
No. 4: Breakin' All the Rules (Sony Pictures, PG-13)
• Gross: $5.3 million
• Weeks opened: NEW!
• Theaters: 1,318
• Per-theater average: $4,021
No. 5: Man on Fire (20th Century Fox, R)
• Gross: $5.2 million (-36%)
• Weeks opened: 4
• Theaters: 2,650 (-196)
• Per-theater average: $1,981
• Cume to date: $64.3 million
No. 6: 13 Going on 30 (Sony Pictures, PG-13)
• Gross: $4.2 million (-28%)
• Weeks opened: 4
• Theaters: 2,656 (-502)
• Per-theater average: $1,581
• Cume to date: $48.6 million
No. 7: New York Minute (Warner Bros., PG)
• Gross: $3.7 million (-37%)
• Weeks opened: 2
• Theaters: 3,006 (unchanged)
• Per-theater average: $2,076
• Cume to date: $10.7 million
No. 8: Laws of Attraction (New Line Cinema, PG-13)
• Gross: $2 million (-44%)
• Weeks opened: 3
• Theaters: 2,003 (-446)
• Per-theater average: $1,036
• Cume to date: $15.3 million
No. 9: Kill Bill Vol. 2 (Miramax, R)
• Gross: $60.8 million (-46%)
• Weeks opened: 5
• Theaters: 1,401 (-551 theaters)
• Per-theater average: $1,161
• Cume to date: $60.8 million
No. 10: Godsend (Lions Gate, PG-13)
• Gross: $1 million (-64%)
• Weeks opened: 3
• Theaters: 1,291 (-1,032)
• Per-theater average: $775
• Cume to date: $13.4 million
OTHER OPENINGS
Carandiru (Sony Picture Classics, R)
• Gross: $18,000
• Weeks opened: NEW!
• Theaters: 6
• Per-theater average: $3,000
A Slipping Down Life (Lions Gate, R)
• Gross: $9,000
• Weeks opened: NEW!
• Theaters: 5
• Per-theater average: $1,800