`3 KINGS' BOWS TO `DOUBLE JEOPARDY; JUDD THRILLER LEADS BOX OFFICE TAKE FOR 2ND WEEKEND.Byline: Dave McNary Staff Writer ``Double Jeopardy'' scored an impressive back-to-back victory at the nation's multiplexes as the revenge-thriller edged Gulf War drama ``Three Kings'' for the top box office spot with an estimated $17.2 million at 2,884 theaters from Friday to Sunday, studio sources said Sunday. The Paramount release, starring Ashley Judd Ashley Judd (born April 19, 1968) is an American actress. She is perhaps best known for her leading roles in a series of late 1990s and early 2000s thrillers, including Kiss the Girls, Double Jeopardy and High Crimes. as a wife wrongly accused of murdering her husband, became the first to win top place at the box office on consecutive weekends since ``The Sixth Sense'' did so five times in a row at the end of the summer. ``Double Jeopardy'' lost only 26 percent from its debut weekend and has grossed $47.4 million in 10 days. The studio added 337 theaters Friday to take advantage of strong response among all demographic groups. ``It's playing very well throughout the country, particularly in Middle America Middle America 1 A region of southern North America comprising Mexico, Central America, and sometimes the West Indies. Middle American adj. & n. ,'' studio spokesman Blaise Noto said. ``Double Jeopardy'' survived a tough challenge from ``Three Kings,'' which took in $16.3 million at 2,942 theaters in the widest opening ever for a film released in October. The offbeat off·beat n. Music An unaccented beat in a measure. adj. Slang Not conforming to an ordinary type or pattern; unconventional: offbeat humor. tale of U.S. soldiers - portrayed by George Clooney George Timothy Clooney (May 6, 1961) is an American actor, director, producer and screenwriter who gained fame as the lead doctor in the long-running television drama, ER , Mark Wahlberg For the actor and television game show host, see Mark L. Walberg. Mark Robert Michael Wahlberg (born June 5 1971) is an Academy Award-nominated American actor and television producer. and Ice Cube - in search of stolen gold in Iraq has received surprisingly strong critical support and could develop solid momentum among movie-goers because of its unique plot. `` `Three Kings' is appealing to a lot of different audiences, and we expect it to play well into the holiday season,'' said Robert Bucksbaum, president of the Reel Source tracking service. ``It should take in between $65 million and $70 million.'' Industry tracker Arthur Rockwell credited Warner Bros BROS Brothers BROS Benefits and Retirement Operations Section (King County, Washington) BROS Barnes and Richmond Operatic Society (London, UK) . with good timing for releasing ``Three Kings'' in a market lacking rival action-adventures. ``It also shows that the material sometimes matters to audiences more than the stars,'' he added. ``Three Kings,'' made for a reported $50 million, is the first major studio feature from director David Russell David Russell may refer to:
DreamWorks' third weekend of critical favorite ``American Beauty'' continued to draw impressively as it finished third with $8.1 million at 706 theaters, generating by far the best per-site average among wide releases with $11,473. The studio added 277 theaters on Friday and plans to boost the screen total again next weekend by 400 to 500 to take advantage of the response so far, distribution chief Jim Tharp said. Bucksbaum said the go-slow rollout for the edgy comedy-drama makes sense and could eventually give ``Beauty'' a total gross of more than triple its take so far, $18.3 million. ``They have a really solid hit and the word is starting to filter down to the suburbs and small towns,'' he added. Sony's third weekend of ``Blue Streak'' finished a close fourth with $8 million at 2,735 theaters to go past $47 million overall, and Disney's ``The Sixth Sense'' continued to post remarkable returns after nearly two months in theaters with $7.2 million at 2,821 sites on its ninth weekend. The ``Sense'' total has reached $234.7 million, placing it 18th on the top domestic-grosser list, after ``Beverly Hills Beverly Hills, city (1990 pop. 31,971), Los Angeles co., S Calif., completely surrounded by the city of Los Angeles; inc. 1914. The largely residential city is home to many motion-picture and television personalities. Cop.'' Melissa Joan Hart Melissa Joan Hart (born April 18 1976) is an American actress who is best known for playing the title roles in two successful television series, Clarissa Explains It All and Sabrina, the Teenage Witch. , star of ``Sabrina, the Teenage Witch,'' generated moderate returns in her big-screen debut as a high schooler in 20th Century Fox's ``Drive Me Crazy,'' with $7.1 million at 2,222 theaters. But the romantic comedy will fall far short of recent similar releases, such as ``She's All That,'' ``Never Been Kissed'' and ``American Pie.'' The top six films kept 1999 movie-going at its record-setting pace, with $90 million rolling into box offices, off 2 percent from the same weekend last year when ``Antz'' opened with $17.2 million. Box office totals this year have reached $5.5 billion, up 8 percent from the period last year. Universal's ``For Love of the Game,'' in its third weekend, led the rest of the top 10, but continued to disappoint the studio with a gross of $3.4 million at 2,933 theaters. The baseball drama edged Sony's opening of ``The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland'' with a modest $3.3 million at 1,210 theaters. ``Elmo'' looks unlikely to match the $16 million total from the previous Muppet entry, ``Muppets From Space.'' Disney's opening of its hockey comedy-drama ``Mystery, Alaska'' scored little notice with $3.1 million at 1,673 sites. And a pair of horror films continued to fade quickly in their fourth weekend. ``Stigmata'' came in 10th with $2.3 million at 2,045 theaters, followed by Artisan's ``Stir of Echoes'' with $1.1 million at 1,502 locations in its fourth weekend. TOP MOVIES Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at North American North American named after North America. North American blastomycosis see North American blastomycosis. North American cattle tick see boophilusannulatus. theaters: 1. ``Double Jeopardy double jeopardy: see jeopardy. double jeopardy In law, the prosecution of a person for an offense for which he or she already has been prosecuted. In U.S. ,'' $17.2 million. 2. ``Three Kings,'' $16.3 million. 3. ``American Beauty American Beauty n. A type of rose bearing large, long-stemmed purplish-red flowers. ,'' $8.1 million. 4. ``Blue Streak blue streak n. Informal 1. Something moving very fast. 2. A rapid and seemingly interminable stream of words: curse a blue streak. ,'' $8 million. 5. ``The Sixth Sense,'' $7.2 million. 6. ``Drive Me Crazy,'' $7.1 million. 7. ``For Love of the Game,'' $3.4 million. 8. ``The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland,'' $3.3 million. 9. ``Mystery, Alaska,'' $3.1 million. 10. ``Stigmata stigmata (stĭg`mətə, stĭgmăt`ə) [plural of stigma, from Gr.,=brand], wounds or marks on a person resembling the five wounds received by Jesus at the crucifixion. ,'' $2. million. CAPTION(S): Box Box: TOP MOVIES (See text) |
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