HOLLYWOOD - Apparently movie audiences have grown tired of fantastical creatures and epic battles and are finally in the mood for a little screwball romantic comedy.The wacky new release Just Married took over first place with a small but significant $18 million,* ending The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers' three-week run as top dog. Coming in second, The Two Towers took in $14.9 million.
Third place Catch Me If You Can almost caught up to The Two Towers with $14.8, while Two Weeks Notice took a dive to fourth place with a measly $6.7 million.
Making it to the charts this weekend were two Oscar-touted films which had their first wide releases--the biopic Antwone Fisher which came in at No. 9 with $3.8 million and the dark comedy Adaptation which took the 10th spot with $2.9 million.
Overall, however, the box office has slowed down considerably since the December onslaught of films, with the grosses for key films (top 12 grossers) dropping 18 percent from last weekend to only $88.5 million.
THE TOP TEN
20th Century Fox's newest release the PG-13 rated Just Married captured the top spot with an ESTIMATED $18 million at 2,764 theaters ($6,512 per theater).
Generally panned by the critics, the light-hearted film about two mismatched newlyweds who go on an horrific honeymoon in Italy certainly appealed to a younger generation, with 65 percent of its audiences under 21, according to the Associated Press.
Just Married broke even this weekend. recouping the cost of its production. "I can't say too often I've actually grossed the budget on opening weekend," Bruce Snyder, head of distribution for 20th Century Fox told AP.
Directed by Shawn Levy, the film stars Ashton Kutcher and Brittany Murphy.
Slipping into second place, New Line Cinema's PG-13 The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers stepped off its throne with an ESTIMATED $14.9 million (-40%) at 3,477 theaters (-145 theaters; $4,300 per theater). Don't feel too sorry for Frodo and his crew, though. The film has still managed to take in approximately $283.6 million thus far. Nice pocket change.
Directed by Peter Jackson, The Two Towers stars Elijah Wood, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin, Ian McKellen, Orlando Bloom and Liv Tyler.
Coming in just barely under The Two Towers, DreamWorks' PG-13 Catch Me If You Can was pushed down to the third spot with an ESTIMATED $14.8 million (-30%) at 3,225 theaters (+55 theaters; $4,589 per theater). The con-man story has made approximately $119.5 million, which makes Catch Me the 23rd film released last year to gross over $100 million. That makes 2002 a record year for films grossing over the $100 million mark.
Directed by Steven Spielberg Catch Me stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hanks and Christopher Walken.
With box office numbers dropping off dramatically, Warner Bros. PG-13 Two Weeks Notice took fourth place, eking out an ESTIMATED $6.7 million (-40%) at 2,755 theaters ($2,432 per theater). The romantic comedy about a lawyer, her demanding boss and their growing attraction to one another has earned approximately $78.8 million so far.
Directed by Marc D. Lawrence, it stars Sandra Bullock and Hugh Grant.
New Line's R-rated About Schmidt determinedly holds on to the No. 5 spot with an ESTIMATED $6.2 million (-27%) at 865 theaters (+49 theaters; $7,225 per theater). Continuing its expansion, the quirky comedy about a retiree making a life-altering cross-country journey has taken in approximately $21.4 million in total.
Directed and co-written by Alexander Payne, it stars Jack Nicholson, Kathy Bates, Hope Davis and Dermot Mulroney.
Miramax's PG-13 Chicago sang and danced its way up three spots to sixth place, taking in an ESTIMATED $5.6 million (+13%) at 362 theaters (+58 theaters; $15,470 per theater). The film's cume is approximately $17 million, but it's still awaiting its first wide release Jan. 24.
Directed by Rob Marshall, the film about sex and murder during the roaring 1920s in Chicago stars Catherine Zeta-Jones, Renee Zellweger and Richard Gere.