‘Rush Hour 2’ Has $67.4-Million Debut

New Line’s big-budget sequel “Rush Hour 2” grossed a staggering $67.4 million at the box office in its opening three days, the fourth-best opener of all time and the best August debut ever. The Jackie Chan-Chris Tucker buddy movie averaged a robust $21,619 per screen.

Last week’s box-office champ, “Planet of the Apes,” dropped to second place with $27.6 million and a 10-day total of $123.7 million. The new Disney comedy “The Princess Diaries,” Julie Andrews’ first film for the studio since 1964’s “Mary Poppins,” placed third with a nice $22.7 million. The poorly reviewed Angelina Jolie-Antonio Banderas romantic thriller “Original Sin” managed only sixth place with $6.4 million.

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Three-day gross/Screens/Weeks in Movie (Studio) Total (millions) Average Release 1. “Rush Hour 2” $67.4 3,118 1 (New Line) $67.4 $21,619 2. “Planet of the Apes” $27.5 3,530 2 (Fox) $123.7 $7,800 3. “The Princess Diaries” $22.9 2,537 1 (Disney) $22.9 $9,012 4. “Jurassic Park III” $12.3 3,462 3 (Universal) $147.0 $3,545 5. “America’s Sweethearts” $8.0 3,011 3 (Sony/Columbia) $74.7 $2,670 6. “Original Sin” $6.4 2,194 1 (MGM) $6.4 $2,918 7. “Legally Blonde” $5.9 2,536 4 (MGM) $71.4 $2,307 8. “The Score” $4.9 2,211 4 (Paramount) $57.2 $2,200 9. “Dr. Dolittle 2” $2.3 1,681 7 (Warner Bros.) $106.2 $1,352 10. “Cats & Dogs” $2.2 2,122 5 (Warner Bros.) $86.7 $1,042

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Source: Exhibitor Relations Co.