‘American Pie 2’ Keeps Biggest Slice for Itself

“American Pie 2” continues to out-gross all challengers. Amid a weak field of new films, the gross-out comedy remained the top movie for a third straight weekend.

Taking in $12.8 million over the weekend, “American Pie 2” pushed its total take to $109.6 million in 17 days, according to studio estimates Sunday. “Rush Hour 2” remained the No. 2 film with $11.4 million, raising its 24-day total to $183.3 million.

Among a rush of new movies, “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back” drew the biggest audience. The comedy from writer-director Kevin Smith was No. 3, with $11.1 million.

The baseball flick “Summer Catch,” starring Freddie Prinze Jr., debuted in sixth place with $7.5 million. The sci-fi thriller “John Carpenter’s Ghosts of Mars” opened weakly with $3.8 million, to finish at No. 9.

Woody Allen’s “The Curse of the Jade Scorpion,” playing in far fewer theaters than the other new films, had a so-so debut of $2.5 million to come in at No. 11.

“Bubble Boy,” a comedy about a youth with a deficient immune system, did not even break into the top 12, opening with just $2 million.

Hollywood is in the midst of its typical late-summer doldrums, when moviegoing trails off.

“It feels like summer is over,” said Paul Dergarabedian, president of Exhibitor Relations, which tracks the box office.

The industry is creeping toward its all-time summer revenue high of $3 billion, set in 1999, a record Hollywood should break by next weekend.

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While it was a slow weekend compared to most of this summer, the overall box office still rose compared to the same weekend last year. The top 12 movies grossed $82.5 million, up about 10%.

“Jay and Silent Bob” drew the steadiest crowds among new films, averaging $4,014 a theater in 2,765 locations. The movie stars Jason Mewes and Smith as the title characters, who were supporting players in his previous four movies, including “Dogma” and “Chasing Amy.”

The movie drew heavily on Smith’s cult following, but distributor Miramax hopes it will find a broader audience.

“It’s a very satisfying comedy on a lot of levels,” said David Kaminow, Miramax senior vice president for marketing. “Hopefully, we’ll get some non-Kevin Smith fans to come and sample what we think is a great comedy.”

Playing in 2,335 theaters, “Summer Catch” averaged $3,227. The comedy played mainly to Prinze’s core audience of women under 25, said Dan Fellman, head of distribution for Warner Bros., which released the movie.

“Curse of the Jade Scorpion,” starring Allen and Helen Hunt, averaged $2,769 in 903 theaters. The movie was a step back from last year’s “Small Time Crooks,” which averaged a healthy $4,486 a theater and became Allen’s biggest box-office success in years.

“This one was probably more in line with what Woody’s movies historically have opened to,” said Jim Tharp, head of distribution for DreamWorks, which released “Jade Scorpion.” “I do think ‘Small Time Crooks’ probably raised expectations a little.”

“Ghosts of Mars” averaged just $1,855 in 2,048 theaters. “Bubble Boy” did even worse, averaging $1,246 in 1,605 theaters.