At the box office this weekend, a mother-daughter comedy was no match for some good old cops-and-robbers action.
In its opening weekend, the bullet-riddled police drama S.W.A.T. infiltrated the box office and took the top spot at $37 million*, easily beating out its kinder,gentler competitor, the Disney family fare Freaky Friday. Despite generating great word-of-mouth since its Wednesday opening, the body-switching remake could only come in second with $22.3 million.
The ribald comedy American Wedding dropped from the top to take third place with $15.1 million, while the whale of a tale Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl remained steady as she goes at No. 4 with $13.1 million. The heartwarming Seabiscuit rounded out the top five with a solid $11.9 million.
Another newcomer, the Frenchified Le Divorce, did a fair job in its limited opening, raking in $533,233 in 34 theaters.
THE TOP TEN
Sony Pictures’ PG-13-rated S.W.A.T. busted the box office to take the top spot with an ESTIMATED $37 million in 3,202 theaters. It’s $11,555 per theater average was the highest of any film opening wide this week.
Newly trained LAPD S.W.A.T. team members are called in to save the day after an arms dealer makes a televised offer of $100 million to anyone who can break him out of jail–and L.A.’s criminal element comes out in force to do so.
Directed by Clark Johnson, it stars Colin Farrell, Samuel L. Jackson, LL Cool J and Michelle Rodriguez.
Buena Vista’s PG-rated Freaky Friday debuted in second place with an ESTIMATED $22.3 million in 2,954 theaters ($7,549 per theater).
On a freaky Friday morning, a busy psychiatrist and her 15-year-old daughter wake up to find they have magically switched bodies. Until they can figure out what to do, they attempt to carry on with each other’s daily routines.
Directed by Mark Waters, it stars Jamie Lee Curtis, Lindsay Lohan, Chad Michael Murray and Mark Harmon.
Universal Picture’s R-rated comedy American Wedding dropped to No. 3 in its second week with an ESTIMATED $15.1 million (-55%) at 3,175 theaters (+3 theaters; $4,756 per theater). This third installment of the American Pie series, in which Jim and Michelle get married, has garnered a cume of $64.9 million.
Directed by Jesse Dylan, it stars Jason Biggs, Seann William Scott, Alyson Hannigan, Eddie Kaye Thomas and Thomas Ian Nicholas.
Buena Vista Pictures’ PG-13-rated fantasy actioner Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl fell one spot to fourth place in its fifth week of release with an ESTIMATED $13.1 million (-30%) at 3,170 theaters (-220 theaters; $4,132 per theater). Its cume is approximately $232.8 million.
Directed by Gore Verbinski and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, it stars Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley.
Universal Pictures’ PG-13-rated drama Seabiscuit fell a notch to No. 5 in its third week, taking in an ESTIMATED $11.9 million (-33%) in 2,428 theaters (+7 theaters; $4,901 per theater). Its cume is approximately $69.5 million.
Directed by Gary Ross, it stars Tobey Maguire, Jeff Bridges and Chris Cooper as three down-and-out men who find fame and fortune in an equally down-and-out racehorse.
*Box office estimates provided by Exhibitor Relations, Inc.
Dropping off considerably was Dimension Films’ PG-rated Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over, which slipped four spots to No. 6 in its third week with an ESTIMATED $10.1 million (-48%) in 3,388 theaters (+24 theaters; $2,992 per theater). Its cume is approximately $87.4 million.
Written and directed by Robert Rodriguez, it stars Alexa Vega, Daryl Sabara, Sylvester Stallone, Salma Hayek and Ricardo Montalban.
Sony Picture’s R-rated buddy actioner Bad Boys II moved down the list two place to take seventh in its fourth week with an ESTIMATED $6 million (-53%) at 2,449 theaters (-573 theaters; $2,450 per theater). Its cume is approximately $123 million.
Directed by Michael Bay, it stars Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, Jordi Molla, Gabrielle Union and Peter Stormare.
Paramount Pictures’ PG-13-rated, action-packed Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life dropped two rungs to eighth place in its third week with an ESTIMATED $5.2 million (-54 %) in 3,036 theaters (-186 theaters; $1,713 per theater). Its cume is approximately $53.6 million.
Directed by Jan De Bont, it stars Angelina Jolie, Gerald Butler, Chris Barrie, Ciaran Hinds and Noah Taylor.
Still a major success story, Buena Vista/Disney and Pixar Animation Studios’ G-rated computer-animated feature Finding Nemo dropped two spots to No. 9 in its 11th week with an ESTIMATED $2.5 million (-35%) at 1,502 theaters (-275 theaters; $1,664 per theater). Its cume is approximately $319.9 million.
Directed and co-written by Pixar veteran Andrew Stanton, it features the voices of Albert Brooks, Ellen DeGeneres, Alexander Gould, Willem Dafoe and Brad Garrett.
Warner Bros.’ R-rated sci-fi actioner Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines finished in tenth place for the second week in a row with an ESTIMATED $1.6 million (-46%) at 1,275 theaters (-635; $1,271 per theater). Now in its sixth week, its cume is approximately $145.9 million.
Directed by Jonathan Mostow, it stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, Nick Stahl, Claire Danes and Kristanna Loken.
OTHER OPENINGS
Fox Searchlight’s PG-13-rated Le Divorce opened with a healthy ESTIMATED $533,233 in 34 theaters. It’s $15,683 per theater average was actually the highest of any movie playing this week.
Based on the best-selling novel by Diane Johnson, it follows the adventures of two American sisters living in Paris.
Directed by James Ivory and produced by Ismail Merchant, it stars Kate Hudson, Naomi Watts, Leslie Caron, Sam Waterston, Glenn Close and Stockard Channing.
WEEKEND COMPARISON
The Top 12 films this weekend grossed an ESTIMATED $ 127.3 million, down 3.68 percent from last year’s take of $132.2 million. The Top 12 films were also down 3.29 percent from last weekend when they grossed $131.7 million.
Last year’s top three included: Sony’s PG-13-rated actioner xXx, which opened in first place with $44.5 million in 3,374 theaters ($13,191 per theater average). Buena Vista’s PG-13 rated sci-fi thriller Signs, dropped a spot to take second in its second week with $29.4 million at 3,310 theaters ($8,899 per theater average); Dimension’s PG-rated fun fest Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams opened in third place with $16.7 million in 3,307 theaters ($5,053 per theater average).
