‘Speed 2’ Walks--Doesn’t Run--to Top Box Office

“Speed 2: Cruise Control” topped the box office in its debut weekend but earned only $1 million more than rival blockbuster “Con Air” did in its second weekend, industry sources estimated Sunday.

The “Speed” sequel earned $16.2 million and could drop sharply next weekend, when “Batman & Robin” opens.

Starring Sandra Bullock and Jason Patric as passengers aboard a hijacked cruise ship, Jan De Bont’s directorial debut has been estimated to have cost between $120 million and $145 million.

The original “Speed,” a bomb-on-a-bus thriller starring Bullock and Keanu Reeves, grossed $14.5 million in its opening weekend three years ago. But it was helped tremendously by excellent word of mouth from sneak previews. The film, which cost $30 million to make, went on to earn $346 million worldwide.

In its second weekend on the screen, “Con Air,” about convicts taking over an airplane, earned $15.2 million, followed by “The Lost World: Jurassic Park” with $12 million.

The “Jurassic Park” sequel has grossed $190.3 million in just four weeks, according to Exhibitor Relations Co.

Full box-office results for the weekend will be announced today.