HOLLYWOOD - Orlando Bloom brandishing a sword beat out Paris Hilton getting waxed. Ridley Scott's sweeping Crusade epic Kingdom of Heaven took the top spot this weekend with $20 million, crushing its biggest competition, the gooey horror flick House of Wax, which opened in second place with $12.2 million. The other notable new movie this weekend--the racial drama Crash, starring Don Cheadle, Matt Dillon, Sandra Bullock and more--debuted in fourth spot with $9.1 million.
Hollywood's box office slump continued with revenues down for the 11th straight weekend compared with the same weekend last year, Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations told the Associated Press. But he anticipates the slide will end May 19 when the final installment in the Star Wars prequel trilogy, Revenge of the Sith, debuts.
"Believe me, when Star Wars comes out, people will drop everything and come to the theater," Dergarabedian said.
This weekend, the Top 12 films grossed an estimated $76.8 million, down 5.04 percent from last weekend's $80.9 million take and down 23.78 percent from this time last year's draw of $100.8 million.
The Top Three films at the box office this time last year were: Universal Pictures' PG-13 rated Van Helsing, which debuted at No. 1 with $51.7 million in 3,575 theaters, averaging $14,475 per theater; Paramount Pictures' PG-13 rated Mean Girls, which dropped to second place in its second week with $13.6 million in 2,972 theaters, averaging $4,602 per theater; and 20th Century Fox's R-rated Man on Fire, which dropped to third place in its third week with $8.2 million in 2,846 theaters, averaging $2,894 per theater.
(This week's box office Top 10 below...)
BOX OFFICE TOP 10, ESTIMATES:
(Source: Exhibitor Relations, Inc.)
No. 1: Kingdom of Heaven (20th Century Fox, R)
• Gross: $20 million
• Weeks opened: NEW!
• Theaters: 3,216
• Per-theater average: $6,219
• Cume to date: $43.6 million
No. 2: House of Wax (Warner Bros., R)
• Gross: $12.2 million
• Weeks opened: NEW!
• Theaters: 3,111
• Per-theater average: $3,923
No. 3: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Buena Vista, PG)
• Gross: $9.1 million (-57%)
• Weeks opened: 2
• Theaters: 3,133 (unchanged)
• Per-theater average: $2,914
• Cume to date: $35.1 million
No. 4: Crash (Lions Gate, R)
• Gross: $9.1 million
• Weeks opened: NEW!
• Theaters: 1,864
• Per-theater average: $4,882
No. 5: The Interpreter (Universal, PG-13)
• Gross: $7.5 million (-46%)
• Weeks opened: 3
• Theaters: 2,814 (+50)
• Per-theater average: $2,665
• Cume to date: $54 million
No. 6: XXX: State of the Union (Sony Pictures, PG-13)
• Gross: $5.4 million (-58%)
• Weeks opened: 2
• Theaters: 3,480 (unchanged)
• Per-theater average: $1,552
• Cume to date: $20.7 million
No. 7: The Amityville Horror (MGM, R)
• Gross: $3.1 million (-60%)
• Weeks opened: 4
• Theaters: 2,478 (-580)
• Per-theater average: $1,271
• Cume to date: $60.1 million
No. 8: Sahara (Paramount, PG-13)
• Gross: $3.1 million (-46%)
• Weeks opened: 5
• Theaters: 2,516 (-596)
• Per-theater average: $1,232
• Cume to date: $61.3 million
No. 9: A Lot Like Love (Buena Vista, PG-13)
• Gross: $3 million (-40%)
• Weeks opened: 3
• Theaters: 2,153 (-349)
• Per-theater average: $1,410
• Cume to date: $18.7 million
No. 10: Fever Pitch (20th Century Fox, PG-13)
• Gross: $2 million (-43%)
• Weeks opened: 5
• Theaters: 1,541 (-651)
• Per-theater average: $1,298
• Cume to date: $39 million