‘American Pie 2’ Wins Rat Race Again

Audiences took a second helping of “American Pie 2,” which grossed $21.4 million to remain the No. 1 movie for the second consecutive weekend.

It was the first movie since “Pearl Harbor” to hold the top spot for two weekends running. A new movie had premiered in first place for each of the previous 10 weekends.

Another sequel, “Rush Hour 2,” finished in second place with $19.2 million; new releases had soft openings, according to studio estimates Sunday.

The comedy “Rat Race,” directed by “Airplane!” co-creator Jerry Zucker, premiered in third place with $11.8 million.

The World War II romance “Captain Corelli’s Mandolin,” starring Nicolas Cage and Penelope Cruz, opened in sixth place with $7.1 million.

The western “American Outlaws,” starring Colin Farrell as Jesse James, opened at No. 8 with $4.8 million.

Overall, the box office rose. The top 12 movies grossed $103.1 million, up 19% from the same weekend last year, when “The Cell” premiered as the No. 1 film.

By next weekend or shortly thereafter, the industry should surpass its summer revenue record of $3 billion set in 1999, said Paul Dergarabedian, president of Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc., which tracks the box office.

“American Pie 2” held the top spot again despite its gross dropping a sharp 53% from its opening-weekend take. That’s been the pattern this summer--movies posting huge debuts followed by big declines because so many people already saw the films over opening weekend.

“It’s the established pattern because we’re opening pictures so much bigger than we used to before,” said Nikki Rocco, head of distribution for Universal, which released “American Pie 2.”

A few movies, such as “Shrek,” “Legally Blonde” and “The Princess Diaries,” have defied that trend as moviegoers have talked up the films.

“Rat Race” distributor Paramount and Universal, which distributed “Captain Corelli’s Mandolin,” hope the same holds true for their films.

“Do we want a bigger opening? Yes,” said Rob Friedman, vice chairman of Paramount’s motion picture group. “Will it get bigger? Yes. We’re confident the movie’s going to be around a long time.”

More so than in past summers, the industry has stacked up major releases. Every weekend, another high-profile film has come along to knock off the previous No. 1 movie.

“Planet of the Apes,” “American Pie 2” and “Rush Hour 2” opened in late July and August, a time when Hollywood’s summer season traditionally has tapered off.

It looks more like a typical late summer through Labor Day, with smaller movies opening to smaller audiences.

They include the sci-fi thriller “John Carpenter’s Ghosts of Mars,” “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back” from “Dogma” director Kevin Smith; the baseball flick “Summer Catch” starring Freddie Prinze Jr.; and Woody Allen’s comedy “The Curse of the Jade Scorpion.”

“We’re going to hit the dog days pretty soon,” Dergarabedian said. “The $60-million openers for the summer are pretty much done. If any new movies do really well from now on, it would be sort of unexpected.”