The romantic comedy How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days showed Shanghai Knights how to lose at the box office this weekend by taking in a winsome $24.1 million.* This makes it the third best February opener behind Hannibal and Scream 3.
Hannibal took in a head-spinning $58 million when it debuted in February of 2001, while Scream 3 wailed with a second all-time February best with $34.7 million in 2000.
How To Lose a Guy, which revolves around a writer for a fictitious magazine who agrees to write a firsthand account of all the things women do to drive men away sent the weekend favorite, Shanghai Knights, spinning, although the buddy comedy still managed to strong-arm a cavalier $19.7 million, beating predecessor Shanghai Noon‘s four-day $15.6 million opening take in May of 2000.
The third film to debut this weekend, the romantic comedy Deliver Us From Eva, opened sixth with a righteous $7 million.
Chicago‘s expansion propelled the musical into third place with $10.7 million in its seventh week of release, gaining two spots from last week’s No. 5 position.
The CIA thriller The Recruit came in fourth place with $9.5 million, a significant drop from its No. 1 spot last week when it opened. The horror sequel Final Destination 2 also fell from grace in its second week of release, sliding from second to fifth place with a harmless $8.6 million.
Also losing gas in its second week, the motorcycle drama Biker Boyz barely passed the finish line with a wretched $4 million, ranking eighth. It debuted in the third spot last week.
The thriller Darkness Falls fell from sixth to ninth place in its third week with a not-so-scary $3.8 million, while The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers held on to tenth place in its eighth week of release with $3.7 million.
THE TOP TEN
Paramount Pictures’ How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days opened with a winning ESTIMATED $24.1 million at 2,923 theaters. Its $8,245 per theater was the highest of any other film this week.
Directed by Donald Petrie, it stars Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey.
The PG-13 rated film focuses on a writer for a woman’s magazine whose assignment is to write a first-hand account of all the things women do to drive away men. The man she uses as her guinea pig, however, has just made a bet with his boss that he can make any girl fall in love with him in ten days.
Buena Vista’s PG-13 rated buddy actioner Shanghai Knights premiered in second place with an ESTIMATED $19.7 million take at 2,753 theaters ($7,181 per theater).
Directed by Tom Dey, it stars Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson.
The martial arts pic is a sequel to 2000’s Shanghai Noon. This time Wild West cowboys Chon Wang and Roy O’Bannon head to London to avenge the death of Chon’s father.
Miramax’s PG-13 rated musical Chicago expanded to 1,218 theaters in its fifth week and danced into third place with an ESTIMATED $10.7 million (+52%) at 1,841 theaters ($5,824 per theater). Its cume is approximately $63.7 million.
Directed by Rob Marshall, it stars Renee Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Richard Gere.
*Box office estimates provided by Exhibitor Relations, Inc.
Buena Vista’s PG-13 CIA thriller The Recruit, last week’s box office topper, dropped to fourth place in its second week, with an ESTIMATED $9.5 million (-42%) at 2,376 theaters ($3,998 per theater). Its cume is approximately $30.1 million.
Directed by Roger Donaldson, it stars Al Pacino and Colin Farrell.
New Line’s R rated thriller sequel Final Destination 2 fell three rungs to fifth place in its second week with an ESTIMATED $8.6 million (-46%) at 2,834 theaters ($3,052 per theater). Its cume is approximately $28.1 million.
Directed by David Richard Ellis, it stars Ali Larter, A.J. Cook and Michael Landes.
Focus Feature’s romantic comedy Deliver Us From Eva opened to a respectable ESTIMATED $7 million at 1,139 theaters. Its $6,216 per theater average was the second highest of any film playing this week.
Directed by Gary C. Hardwick, it stars LL Cool J and Gabrielle Union.
The R rated pic revolves around three men who plot to free themselves of their mates’ unattached and controlling older sister Eva by paying a cash-strapped ladies’ man to romance her.
Warner Bros.’ PG rated comedy Kangaroo Jack placed seventh–down three spots from last week–in its fourth week of release with an ESTIMATED $5.8 million (-35%) at 2,848 theaters ($5,890 per theater). Its cume is approximately $52.8 million.
Directed by David McNally, it stars Jerry O’Connell, Anthony Anderson and Estella Warren.
DreamWorks’ PG-13 rated drama Biker Boyz fell five notches to eighth place in its second week of release with an ESTIMATED $4 million (-60%) at 1,769 theaters (+3 theaters; $2,261 per theater). Its cume is approximately $15.5 million.
Directed by Reggie Rock Bythewood, it stars Laurence Fishburne, Derek Luke and Orlando Jones.
Sony Pictures’ PG-13 rated horror Darkness Falls fell from sixth to ninth spot in its third week with an ESTIMATED $3.8 million (-46%) at 2,456 theaters (-409theaters, $1,547 per theater). Its cume is approximately $26.7 million.
Directed by Jonathan Liebesman, it stars Chaney Kley, Emma Caulfield and Lee Cormie.
Rounding out the Top Ten was New Line Cinema’s PG-13 rated fantasy sequel The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, which dropped three slots in its eighth week with an ESTIMATED $3.3 million (-34%) at 1680 theaters (-495 theaters; $2,009 per theater). Its cume is approximately $320.7 million.
Directed by Peter Jackson, it stars Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Orlando Bloom and Viggo Mortensen.
WEEKEND COMPARISON
The top 12 films this weekend grossed an ESTIMATED $103 million, up 10.08 percent from last weekend when they totaled $93.6 million.
The top 12 were up a significant 21.94 percent from last year when they totaled $84.5 million.
Last year, Warner’s R rated Collateral Damage dominated the box office in its opening week with $15 million at 2,824 theaters ($5,332 per theater); Universal’s opening week of Big Fat Liar was second with $11.5 million at 2,531 theaters ($4,565 per theater); and MGM’s Rollerball, also in its debut week, came in third with $9 million at 2,762 theaters ($3,263 per theater).
