A Runaway for Roberts, ‘Brockovich’

Julia Roberts has done it again. The leading female box-office draw crushed the competition over the weekend as her new human-interest drama, “Erin Brockovich,” opened with $28.1 million in ticket sales.

It was Roberts’ second-highest-grossing debut behind last year’s romantic comedy “Runaway Bride” ($35.1 million) and the second-best March opening for any film behind Jim Carrey’s “Liar Liar” ($31.4 million).

“ ‘Erin Brockovich’ brought people back into the movie theaters, particularly adult audiences, which are not traditionally the biggest moviegoers,” said Nikki Rocco, distribution chief at Universal Pictures, which co-financed the film with Columbia Pictures.

Meanwhile, New Line Cinema’s teen thriller “Final Destination” debuted with $10.1 million.

Three-day gross/ Screens/ Weeks in Movie (Studio) Total (millions) Average Release

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1. “Erin Brockovich” $28.1 2,848 1 (Universal) $28.1 $9,880 2. “Mission to Mars” $11.4 3,060 2 (Disney/Touchstone) $40.6 $3,721 3. “Final Destination” $10.1 2,587 1 (New Line) $10.1 $3,872 4. “My Dog Skip” $5.3 2,331 10 (Warner Bros.) $21.6 $2,260 5. “The Ninth Gate” $3.5 1,657 2 (Artisan) $12.5 $2,131 6. “The Whole Nine Yards” $3.3 2,503 5 (Warner Bros.) $51.1 $1,308 7. “American Beauty” $3.2 1,661 27 (DreamWorks) $103.0 $1,902 8. “The Cider House Rules” $2.5 1,738 15 (Paramount) $45.8 $1,425 9. “Snow Day” $2.2 2,387 6 (Paramount) $56.3 $924 10. “The Tigger Movie” $1.8 1,701 6 (Disney) $41.6 $1,042 *”Beyond the Mat” $968,016 298 1 (Lions Gate) $1.0 $3,242 *”Soft Fruit” $6,051 1 1 (Fox Searchlight) $6,051 $6,051

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1. “Erin Brockovich” $28.1 2,848 1 (Universal) $28.1 $9,880 2. “Mission to Mars” $11.4 3,060 2 (Disney/Touchstone) $40.6 $3,721 3. “Final Destination” $10.1 2,587 1 (New Line) $10.1 $3,872 4. “My Dog Skip” $5.3 2,331 10 (Warner Bros.) $21.6 $2,260 5. “The Ninth Gate” $3.5 1,657 2 (Artisan) $12.5 $2,131 6. “The Whole Nine Yards” $3.3 2,503 5 (Warner Bros.) $51.1 $1,308 7. “American Beauty” $3.2 1,661 27 (DreamWorks) $103.0 $1,902 8. “The Cider House Rules” $2.5 1,738 15 (Paramount) $45.8 $1,425 9. “Snow Day” $2.2 2,387 6 (Paramount) $56.3 $924 10. “The Tigger Movie” $1.8 1,701 6 (Disney) $41.6 $1,042 *”Beyond the Mat” $968,016 298 1 (Lions Gate) $1.0 $3,242 *”Soft Fruit” $6,051 1 1 (Fox Searchlight) $6,051 $6,051

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SOURCE: Exhibitor Relations Co.