‘Kangaroo Jack’ has g’days at the box office

“Kangaroo Jack,” a comedy about two hapless pals trying to retrieve missing mob money from a kangaroo in Australia, edged into first place in its debut weekend, taking in $17.7 million at box offices, according to studio estimates Sunday.

“National Security,” an action comedy starring Martin Lawrence and Steve Zahn as ex-cops who crack a smuggling ring, opened at No. 2, earning an estimated $15.7 million.

Last weekend’s No. 1 film, “Just Married,” fell to third place with an estimated $12.5 million. The romantic comedy starring Brittany Murphy and Ashton Kutcher as mismatched newlyweds has taken in $34 million since opening last weekend.

With Hollywood awaiting the Academy Award nominations and the outcome of Sunday’s Golden Globe Awards, light comedy ruled the weekend box office.

“At this time of year when we are used to seeing all these Oscar contenders, we forget that something like this can be very popular and take the No. 1 spot at the box office,” said Paul Dergarabedian, president of the box-office tracking firm Exhibitor Relations Co.

“People must really be in the mood to laugh.”

Overall, the weekend’s top 12 films took in $105.9 million, up a fraction of a percent from the same weekend last year and down 2.6% from last weekend.

“It’s not a record-breaking Martin Luther King weekend, but it is a solid weekend,” Dergarabedian said.

Dan Fellan, head of distribution for Warner Bros., which released “Kangaroo Jack,” said the film starring Jerry O’Connell and Anthony Anderson appealed to a wide audience -- from ages 8 to 80.

“It’s not just one of those cases where they drag the kids to the movies,” Fellan said.

“National Security” proved popular with a broad, ethnically mixed audience, said Rory Bruer, president of distribution for Sony Pictures.

Bruer attributed the film’s appeal to Lawrence, “who’s a very funny man, and it’s a really good vehicle for him.”

In fourth place was “The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers,” which brought in an estimated $11.4 million in its fifth week for a total of $299 million.

The film is poised to make movie history today when studio officials predict it will surpass the $300-million mark, said John Smith of New Line Cinema’s publicity department.

Of the films released in 2002, only two others have topped $300 million. “Spider-Man” brought in $403.7 million and “Star Wars: Episode II -- Attack of the Clones,” brought in $310.3 million, Dergarabedian said.

Among films expected to do well at the award shows, “The Hours” earned an estimated $4.7 million in its fourth week, for a total of $7.4 million.

Released by Paramount Studios in late 2002, “The Hours,” starring Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman and Julianne Moore, broadened to 402 theaters and took in an estimated $11,754 per-screen.

“We are just thrilled with its performance,” said Nancy Kirkpatrick, Paramount’s executive vice president of worldwide publicity.

The strategy is similar to the approach used for films such as “Chicago,” “About Schmidt” and “Antwone Fisher,” Dergarabedian said.

The estimated ticket sales are for Friday through Sunday at North American theaters, according to Exhibitor Relations Co. Final figures will be released Tuesday.