Sequels Fend Off Newcomers

Two sequels--”American Pie 2” and “Rush Hour 2”--topped the weekend box-office chart as three new films provided lackluster to bleak performances.

“American Pie 2” grossed $21.1 million to remain No. 1 for the second weekend in a row, while “Rush Hour 2” came in second with $19 million in its third week in release.

Debuting in third place was the wacky road comedy “Rat Race,” with $11.7 million.

The romantic drama “Captain Corelli’s Mandolin” opened in sixth place with $7.2 million, while the western “American Outlaws” debuted with a dismal $4.9 million.

“The newcomers had a real tough time in this marketplace,” said Paul Dergarabedian, president of the box-office tracking firm Exhibitor Relations Co. “ ‘Rush Hour 2’ was the biggest August opener ever and ‘American Pie 2’ the second biggest. It’s tough for these new films go to up against them.”

Meanwhile, the summer box office is now at about $2.7 billion with two weeks to go. “We should wind up with over $3 billion, but by how much I don’t know yet,” Dergarabedian said.

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Movie Three-day gross/ Screens/ Weeks in (Studio) Total (millions) Average Release 1. “American Pie 2” $21.1 3,072 2 (Universal) $87.3 $6,870 2. “Rush Hour 2” $19.0 3,080 3 (New Line) $164.7 $6,177 3. “Rat Race” $11.7 2,550 1 (Paramount) $11.7 $4,573 4. “The Others” $10.9 2,153 2 (Dimension) $32.2 $5,066 5. “The Princess Diaries” $9.6 2,726 3 (Disney) $70.2 $3,527 6. “Captain Corelli’s Mandolin” $7.2 1,595 1 (Universal) $7.2 $4,520 7. “Planet of the Apes” $7.1 3,060 4 (Fox) $161.2 $2,334 8. “American Outlaws” $4.9 2,348 1 (Warner Bros.) $4.9 $2,068 9. “Jurassic Park III” $4.4 2,516 5 (Universal) $168.3 $1,765 10. “Legally Blonde” $2.6 1,770 6 (MGM) $83.3 $1,455

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Source: Exhibitor Relations