‘Parents’ Pulls the Crowds In

Meet the October Champion is more like it. The Robert De Niro and Ben Stiller comedy “Meet the Parents” topped the weekend box-office chart for the third straight week.

The film easily outmuscled the new Brendan Fraser comedy “Bedazzled,” which garnered mixed reviews and an opening weekend gross of $13.1 million for second place.

“Remember the Titans” continued its surprising run toward $100 million. The film came in third place with a weekend total of $9.9 million.

Meanwhile, Warner Bros. had high hopes for “Pay It Forward,” but despite a strong cast of Kevin Spacey, Helen Hunt and Haley Joel Osment, the Mimi Leder-directed drama took in a modest $9.6 million for fourth place.

“The Legend of Drunken Master” debuted in fifth place with a lackluster $3.8 million in ticket sales.

“MVP: Most Valuable Primate” and “The Yards” opened in limited release.

Weekend Box Office

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Three-day gross/ Screens/ Weeks in Movie (Studio) Total (millions) Average Release 1. “Meet the Parents” $16.0 2,619 3 (Universal) $80.7 $6,115 2. “Bedazzled” $13.1 2,568 1 (Fox) $13.1 $5,104 3. “Remember the Titans” $9.9 2,801 4 (Disney) $77.4 $3,542 4. “Pay It Forward” $9.6 2,130 1 (Warner Bros.) $9.6 $4,522 5. “The Legend of Drunken Master” $3.8 1,342 1 (Dimension) $3.8 $2,865 6. “The Contender” $3.5 1,571 2 (DreamWorks) $10.6 $2,219 7. “Lost Souls” $3.2 1,970 2 (New Line) $12.9 $1,644 8. “The Exorcist”* $2.9 1,708 5 (Warner Bros.) $34.8 $1,704 9. “The Ladies Man” $2.8 2,043 2 (Paramount) $9.6 $1,377 10.”Dr. T & the Women” $2.4 1,489 2 (Artisan) $9.0 $1,598 “MVP: Most Valuable Primate”** $202,540 205 1 (Keystone) $1.1 $988 “The Yards” $57,339 8 1 (Miramax) $57,339 $7,167

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* Reissue; ** Opened earlier in Canada.

SOURCE: Exhibitor Relations Co.