'MEXICO,' 'UNDERWORLD' PROVE SEPTEMBER IS PRIME MOVIE MONTH.

Byline: Greg Hernandez Staff Writer

September is supposed to be a time that movie audiences decide to stay home. But the month when the kids go back to school turned out to be a most unlikely savior at the box office this year by ringing up a record $491.5 million in ticket sales, up 9 percent from 2002.

The box office strength of ``Once Upon a Time in Mexico'' and ``Underworld'' contributed mightily to the film industry's feat of nearly pulling even with last year's record pace after a so-so summer had left it about 3 percent behind.

``I definitely think that if you have a terrific movie that has the juice behind it, you don't have to give it as traditional a date as people have in the past,'' said Rory Bruer, president of distribution for Sony Pictures Entertainment, which released both ``Mexico'' and ``Underworld.''

Since September falls between the summer and fall blockbusters, in the past the month has been a bit of a dumping ground for movies that studios don't have high hopes for.

While some movies have managed to break out - last year's ``Sweet Home Alabama'' for example - this years' crop of September hits has displayed far more depth, according to Paul Dergarabedian, president of box office tracker Exhibitor Relations Co.

``Normally, September is not known as a savior month that can turn things around,'' Dergarabedian said. ``The studios have created a very strong month from where there once was not a big month. With studios taking a chance in September, they are creating a strong month, proving you can have a big hit at any time of the year.''

``Mexico,'' the third film in a trilogy directed by Robert Rodriguez, opened in the multiplexes like gangbusters with a first-weekend gross of $23.4 million. Headlining Antonio Banderas and Johnny Depp, the film earned $48.9 million last month and remains firmly ensconced in the top 10.

While ``Mexico'' was the month's biggest grosser, close behind was the supernatural thriller ``Underworld,'' which took the industry by surprise with its stellar opening weekend gross of $21.8 million.

``Taking it out on that date, we felt we had a true shot and went very wide with it,'' Bruer said.

``Underworld,'' released by Sony's Screen Gems specialty film banner, was the studio's eighth film to open at No. 1 this year, tying the previous record set by Warner Bros. in 1999 and 2001.

``With both films, if we had been able to open either of them in the mid- to high teens, we would have been very happy with that,'' Bruer said. ``To open both of these films at over $20 million made it particularly sweet and was certainly beyond our expectations.''

Last weekend saw an overall dip in ticket sales, but Universal Pictures' ``The Rundown'' starring The Rock and Sean William Scott opened in the top spot with a solid $18.5 million. Disney's ``Under the Tuscan Sun'' starring Diane Lane took in $9.7 million in just 1,226 theaters, making it the highest-grossing movie per theater.

Kicking off September at No. 1 was the MGM/United Artists release ``Jeepers Creepers 2.'' ``Jeepers 2'' cost about $16 million to make and dominated over the Labor Day weekend with $18.4 million in ticket sales.

``When you outgross your entire budget on opening weekend, it's always a good thing,'' said Erik Lomis, MGM's president of domestic distribution. ``Typically a lot of pictures have not opened on Labor Day but it's the last holiday weekend of the summer and the kids are still out of school so we looked at it as a chance to capitalize on that.''

Strong holdover summer releases finishing in the month's top 10 include Disney's ``Pirates of the Caribbean,'' ``Freaky Friday'' and ``Open Range,'' Sony's ``S.W.A.T.'' and Universal's ``Seabiscuit.''

``It's these in-between periods at the box office that set the pace for what is to come,'' Dergarabedian said. ``The momentum created in September should carry forward into the big holiday season and that's good news for Hollywood.''

Greg Hernandez, [phone]

greg.hernandez(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) Two-gun-toting Kate Beckinsale stars as Selene in the Screen Gems/Lakeshore Entertainment thriller ``Underworld,'' which had an opening-weekend box office gross of $21.8 million.

(2) ``Underworld,'' with Kate Beckinsale and Scott Speedman, and ``Once Upon a Time in Mexico,'' are proof September films can be blockbusters.

Screen Gems/Lakeshore Entertainment