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`Jurassic' dinosaurs on rampage at US box office
( 2001-07-23 12:04 ) (7 )

The hungry lizards of "Jurassic Park III" devoured their rivals at the North American weekend box office, indicating the dinosaur franchise still has some teeth after eight years.

According to studio estimates issued on Sunday, "Jurassic Park III" grossed US$50.3 million for the three-day period beginning on Friday. Since its Wednesday opening, the Universal Pictures film has totaled US$80.9 million. By contrast "Jurassic Park" (1993) opened with US$50.2 million in its first weekend, and "The Lost World: Jurassic Park" (1997) US$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 US$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 US$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."

INSIDE HOLLYWOOD

"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" (US$35.1 million in 1999) and Mel Gibson's "What Women Want" (US$33.6 million in 2000). Both films ended up north of US$150 million. "America's Sweethearts" was budgeted at US$46 million.

Last weekend's champion, the Reese Witherspoon law-school comedy "Legally Blonde," slipped to No. 3 with US$11.1 million. The film's 10-day total stands at US$43.4 million, and it should end up with US$70 million-US$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 US$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 US$29.7 million.

APE ABOUT "APES"

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 on 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 US$10.8 million and "Cats & Dogs" (Warner Bros.) at No. 5 with US$6.8 million, each off two places.

"The Score," a heist thriller starring Robert De Niro and Edward Norton, has pulled in US$37.2 million after 10 days, and should end up with US$60 million-US$70 million, a Paramount spokeswoman said. The studio, a unit of Viacom Inc., paid US$18 million for domestic distribution rights.

The family comedy "Cats & Dogs" has grossed US$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 US$2.1 million, and has a 24-day total of US$74.4 million. It was also released by Warner Bros.