HOLLYWOOD - Audiences thumbed their noses at critics again over the weekend, making Universal's The Musketeer, which reviewers gleefully sliced up on Friday, the No. 1 film at the box office. The movie, which reportedly cost upwards of $60 million to make, earned only $10.7 million. The No. 2 slot was occupied by Sony's Two Can Play that Game, which wasn't even shown to critics. It earned $8.3 million. Another opener, Warner's Rock Star, which nabbed good notices for its star, Mark Wahlberg, took the third slot with only $6.2 million. [The result was a major disappointment -- particularly since many analysts had forecast that it would open at No. 1. One of them, Art Rockwell of Rockwell Capital Management, told Bloomberg News: "Based on the stars in it {the film also stars Jennifer Aniston}, I thought it would do OK for a rock film. ... Goes to show Mark Wahlberg isn't a stand-alone actor."] The top 12 films grossed an estimated $62.6 million, down 17 percent from last weekend but up 39 percent from the same week a year ago.
The top ten films for the weekend, according to studio estimates compiled by Exhibitor Relations:
1. The Musketeer, $10.7 million; 2. Two Can Play That Game, $8.3 million; 3. Rock Star, $6.18 million; 4. Jeepers Creepers, $6.17 million; 5. The Others, $6.1 million; 6. Rush Hour 2, $5.9 million; 7. American Pie 2, $4.7 million; 8. Rat Race, $4.4 million; 9. The Princess Diaries, $3.4 million; 10. O, $2.7 million.