‘Daredevil’ still at head of class

Moviegoers were keen on lighter fare this weekend, with “Daredevil” once again coming in on top with an estimated $18.9 million, and the raunchy comedy “Old School” debuting not far behind the comic-book superhero at No. 2. “Old School,” starring Will Ferrell, Vince Vaughn and Luke Wilson, was ahead after Friday night but fell behind “Daredevil” on Saturday night, for an estimated opening weekend gross of $17.5 million.

“Old School” is the second feature film for director Todd Phillips, who hit unexpected popularity with the gross-out teen flick “Road Trip” in May 2000. Both “Road Trip” and “Old School” were low-budget productions that did not rely on big stars and captured a mostly under-25 audience.

“They are like the ‘Animal House’ for 2000,” said Paul Dergarabedian of box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations Co. Although “Daredevil,” an action drama starring Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner, dropped 53% from its opening weekend, it has already brought in $70.3 million. Success of the movie, which cost approximately $80 million to make, affirms the continuing popularity of comic-book-based action movies.

Another type of escapist entertainment, the romantic comedy “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days,” came in third, collecting an estimated $11.9 million. The film, which was made for about $30 million, has grossed $64.9 million since its debut three weekends ago. “With all that is going on in the world people just want to have a good time at the movies,” surmised Dergarabedian.

Disney’s “The Jungle Book 2” came in at No. 4 with $8.6 million, followed by the musical “Chicago,” which collected $8.5 million over the weekend. The films have grossed $25.1 million and $94.4 million respectively.

The Kevin Spacey suspense drama “The Life of David Gale” opened with a so-so $7.2 million in 2,002 theaters. The Universal Pictures/Intermedia production perhaps suffered from tepid reviews.

Other debuts that struggled at the box office this weekend include Ronald F. Maxwell’s nearly four-hour epic, “Gods and Generals,” which brought in only $4.8 million on 1,533 screens. The $60-million Civil War tale -- which cost an additional $30 million to market -- was the first release for Ted Turner Pictures. The film, which stars Robert Duvall, is a prequel to “Gettysburg,” which was released theatrically in October 1993 and grossed a total of $10 million. But that film fared well as a television series.

Kurt Russell’s police drama “Dark Blue” joined the list of disappointing debuts, with $3.8 million in 2,176 theaters. Russell, who has not had a hit since “Backdraft,” which grossed a total of $77 million in 1991, received some critical praise for his performance as a big-city cop, but that apparently was not enough to attract more of an audience.

“Dark Blue’s” performance represents a disappointment for Intermedia Films, which co-financed that movie with MGM’s United Artists unit as well as “The Life of David Gale” with Universal.

This weekend’s top 12 films grossed $96.2 million, versus $84.3 million last year, a 14% increase, according to Exhibitor Relations.

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Box Office:

Preliminary results based on studio projections.

*--* Movie 3-day gross Total (millions)

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*--* Daredevil $18.9 $70.3

Old School 17.5 17.5

How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days 11.9 64.9

The Jungle Book 2 8.6 25.1

Chicago 8.5 94.4

The Life of David Gale 7.2 7.2

Shanghai Knights 6.4 44.4

Gods and Generals 4.8 4.8

Dark Blue 3.8 3.8

The Recruit 3.5 44.4 Source: Nielsen EDI Inc Los Angeles Times

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