It’s Child’s Play for No. 1 ‘Pokemon’

Kid Power, coupled with collectors obsessed with snapping up trading cards, powered “Pokemon: The First Movie” to No. 1 on the weekend box-office charts. The film raked in $31 million over the weekend for a record-setting total of $50.8 million during its first five days in release.

The Japanese animated film bowed with the highest opening gross of any non-Disney animated film in history and racks up the biggest five-day debut for an animated film opening on a Wednesday. Its Wednesday opening of $10.1 million last week was the highest ever for an animated film.

“I think the key for studios who are not Disney is to involve themselves with properties already well known to kids like ‘Rugrats,’ ” said Paul Dergarabedian, president of the box-office tracking firm Exhibitor Relations Co.

“Dogma,” a satirical film about religion that enraged many Catholics, opened surprisingly strong in third place with $8.7 million.

The news wasn’t as cheerful at Columbia Pictures, where Luc Besson’s epic, “The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc,” grossed only $6.4 million. Meanwhile, “Anywhere but Here” took in $5.6 million.

Weekend Box Office

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Three-day gross/ Screens/ Weeks in Movie (Studio) Total (millions) Average Release 1. “Pokemon: The First Movie” $31.0 3,043 1 (Warner Bros.) $50.8 $10,199 2. “The Bone Collector” $12.0 2,594 2 (Universal) $35.2 $4,630 3. “Dogma” $8.7 1,269 1 (Lions Gate) $8.7 $6,832 4. “The Messenger” $6.4 2,147 1 (Sony/Columbia) $6.4 $2,963 5. “Anywhere but Here” $5.6 1,672 1 (Fox) $5.6 $3,354 6. “The Insider” $5.0 1,833 2 (Disney/Touchstone) $14.1 $2,735 7. “The Bachelor” $4.7 2,524 2 (New Line) $14.5 $1,846 8. “House on Haunted Hill” $4.3 2,530 3 (Warner Bros.) $34.8 $1,715 9. “Double Jeopardy” $3.0 2,110 8 (Paramount) $108.7 $1,432 10. “The Sixth Sense” $2.6 1,418 15 (Disney/Hollywood) $267.7 $1,807 “Light It Up” $2.4 1,219 1 (Fox) $3.1 $1,976 “Felicia’s Journey” $43,131 5 1 (Artisan) $43,131 $8,626

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SOURCE: Exhibitor Relations Co.