LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - According to studio estimates issued Sunday, "Jurassic Park III" grossed $50.3 million for the three-day period beginning Friday. Since its Wednesday opening, the Universal
Pictures film has totaled $80.9 million. By contrast "Jurassic Park" (1993) opened with $50.2 million in its first weekend, and "The Lost World: Jurassic Park" (1997) $72.1 million.
Steven Spielberg, the director of the first two films, served as executive producer this time, handing over the reins to Joe Johnston, whose directing credits include "
Jumanji" and "October Sky." The news was not all good for Spielberg as his sci-fi odyssey "A.I. Artificial Intelligence" fell out of the top 10 in its fourth weekend.
As with the first two "Jurassic Park" films, computer-generated beasts chase a group of hapless humans around a remote island. The film, budgeted at about $90 million, stars Sam Neill and Tea Leoni. Universal marketed the film as a "thrill ride" with an edgier attitude than the first two, said
Peter Adee, marketing president at the Vivendi Universal-owned studio.
Reviews were mixed, but certainly better than those for the other new release in the top 10, the romantic comedy "America's Sweethearts." However, the star power of Julia Roberts helped the Columbia Pictures film open at No. 2 with a three-day sum of $31 million. The action revolves around a Hollywood press junket and critics complained the jokes would fly over the heads of anyone not steeped in Hollywood minutiae. The L.A. Weekly described it as "aggressively, arrogantly banal."
"A lot of the plot points maybe had more industry interest, but certainly the marketplace considers it a movie-star picture that's funny and romantic," said Jeff Blake, Columbia's president of marketing and distribution.
Catherine Zeta-Jones, John Cusack and Billy Crystal co-star. It was directed by former Walt Disney Co. studio chief Joe Roth, whose nascent Revolution Studios banner produced the film. Columbia is unit of Sony Corp.
According to Sony, the film ranks No. 3 among openings for romantic comedies, behind Roberts' own "Runaway Bride" ($35.1 million in 1999) and Mel Gibson's "What Women Want" ($33.6 million in 2000). Both films ended up north of $150 million. "America's Sweethearts" was budgeted at $46 million.
Last weekend's champion, the Reese Witherspoon law-school comedy "Legally Blonde," slipped to No. 3 with $11.1 million. The film's 10-day total stands at $43.4 million, and it should end up with $70 million-$75 million, said Bob Levin, president of marketing and distribution at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. The overall box office ended a three-week losing streak. The top 12 films grossed about $135 million, up 23 percent from last weekend, and up 6 percent from the year-ago period when "What Lies Beneath" opened at No. 1 with $29.7 million.
The sole new wide release next weekend is director Tim Burton's "Planet of the Apes" update, which industry observers expect to take the box office crown. The film screened to great acclaim for movie theater executives Thursday, said Twentieth Century Fox executive Rick Myerson. "The ending has everybody buzzing ... It's a great twist," he said cryptically. Fox is a unit of Fox Entertainment Group Inc.
Rounding out the top five were "The Score" (Paramount) at No. 4 with $10.8 million and "Cats & Dogs" (Warner Bros.) at No. 5 with $6.8 million, each off two places.
"The Score," a heist thriller starring Robert De Niro and Edward Norton, has pulled in $37.2 million after 10 days, and should end up with $60 million-$70 million, a Paramount spokeswoman said. The studio, a unit of Viacom Inc. , paid $18 million for domestic distribution rights.
The family comedy "Cats & Dogs" has grossed $72.4 million after three weekends. Warner Bros. is a unit of AOL Time Warner Inc.
The Spielberg-directed "A.I." fell three places to No. 12 with $2.1 million, and has a 24-day total of $74.4 million. It was also released by Warner Bros.
Among films opening in limited release, "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" dragged in $153,000 from nine screens in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco, attracting primarily a gay or upscale audience to the musical comedy about a mutilated transsexual. It was released by AOL Time Warner's Fine Line Features unit.
"Ghost World," starring "American Beauty" vixen Thora Birch as a disaffected high-school graduate, pulled in $101,000 from five screens in New York, Los Angeles and Seattle. It was released by MGM's United Artists banner.
North American weekend Box Office
1 "Jurassic Park III," $50.3 million
2 "America's Sweethearts," $31.0 million
3 "Legally Blonde," $11.1 million
4 "The Score," $10.8 million
5 "Cats & Dogs," $6.8 million
6 "The Fast and the Furious," $5.3 million
7 "Scary Movie 2," $4.4 million
8 "Dr. Dolittle 2," $4.4 million
9 "Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within," $3.5 million
10 "Kiss of the Dragon," $2.9 million
