Talkin’ ‘Bout the No. 1 ‘Shaft’

“Shaft,” Paramount Pictures’ updated version of the 1971 cult classic starring Samuel L. Jackson, debuted impressively, taking the top spot with $21.7 million.

Meanwhile, the news wasn’t as heartening for 20th Century Fox, which saw its big-budget animated sci-fi film, “Titan A.E.,” open with a thud, taking in only $9.4 million. The new Miramax teen film, “Boys and Girls,” was also a disappointment, grossing $7 million.

Disney’s “Fantasia 2000,” which had a successful four-month Imax run earlier this year, was less of a hit on standard-format screens, taking in only $2.9 million.

The overall box office is up 7% this year, said Paul Dergarabedian, president of the box-office tracking firm Exhibitor Relations, but the last two weekends have seen a dropoff in ticket sales of about 20% compared with last year.

Weekend Box Office

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Three-day gross/ Screens/ Weeks in Movie (Studio) Total (millions) Average Release 1. “Shaft” $21.7 2,337 1 (Paramount) $21.7 $9,292 2. “Gone in 60 Seconds” $14.9 3,049 2 (Disney/Touchstone) $52.1 $4,886 3. “Big Momma’s House” $11.7 2,843 3 (Fox) $71.2 $4,111 4. “Mission: Impossible-2” $11.4 3,633 4 (Paramount) $176.6 $3,127 5. “Titan A.E.” $9.4 2,734 1 (Fox) $9.4 $3,430 6. “Boys and Girls” $7.0 1,983 1 (Miramax) $7.0 $3,535 7. “Dinosaur” $5.9 2,938 5 (Disney) $120.5 $1,996 8. “Gladiator” $5.4 2,266 7 (DreamWorks) $159.0 $2,366 9. “Shanghai Noon” $3.8 2,126 4 (Disney/Touchstone) $48.0 $1,784 10. “Road Trip” $3.1 2,151 5 (DreamWorks) $60.2 $1,437 “Fantasia 2000”* $2.9 1,313 1 (Disney) $52.5 $2,217 “Jesus’ Son”* $37,089 1 1 (Lions Gate) $37,089 $37,089

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*New 35mm 4-week run

SOURCE: Exhibitor Relations