HOLLYWOOD - While many critics had dismissed Universal's The Musketeer as a loser, audiences over the weekend proved the wisdom of Alexandre Dumas' (pere) counsel: "Nothing succeeds like success." The thirteenth film version of the Dumas tale collected $10.3 million in its debut to top the box office. The weekend tally produced several other surprises. Sony's new Two Can Play That Game, a low-budget filmed aimed at black audiences, took in $7.7 million on only 1,297 screens, for an average of $5,953 per screen, well above the $4,230 per screen for Musketeer. Rock Star, the film many analysts figured would wind up at the top of the heap, collected only $6 million in its debut for an average of just $2,384 per screen. Last week's winner, Jeepers Creepers, lost 54 percent of its opening-week take but still managed to take the third spot with $6.2 million. The gross for the top 12 films totaled $61.3 million, up 36 percent over the same weekend a year ago.
The top ten films over the weekend, according to final figures compiled by Exhibitor Relations (figures in parentheses represent total gross to date):
1. The Musketeer, Universal, $10,312,740, (New);
2. Two Can Play That Game, Sony, $7,720,942, (New);
3. Jeepers Creepers, MGM, $6,219,957, 2 Wks. ($24,380,219);
4. Rock Star, Warner Bros., $6,018,636, (New);
5. The Others, Miramax/Dimension, $6,003,882, 5 Wks. ($67,516,127);
6. Rush Hour 2, New Line, $5,752,389, 6 Wks. ($206,036,976);
7. American Pie 2, Universal, $4,720,900, 5 Wks. ($13,1174,959);
8. Rat Race, Paramount, $4,459,229, 4 Wks. ($43,278,955);
9. The Princess Diaries, Disney, $3,369,944, 6 Wks. ($97,026,308);
10. O, Lions Gate, $2,664,891, 2 Wks. ($10,754,987).