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'The Musketeer' Squeaks Out Box Office Victory
Sunday, September 9, 2001 6:58 PM EDT
"The Musketeer", a martial arts take on the classic Alexandre Dumas tale, rode to the No. 1 spot at the North American box office, while Mark Wahlberg's "Rock Star" hit a flat note in its first weekend.
According to studio estimates issued on Sunday, Universal's "The Musketeer" has pulled in $10.7 million since its Friday bow, easily outperforming the two other wide new releases during a traditionally quiet post-holiday weekend.
The No. 2 slot was filled by "Two Can Play That Came" an urban romantic comedy, which grossed $8.3 million in its first three days.
Warner Bros.' "Rock Star" tuned in with a disappointing $6.2 million, level with incumbent champion "Jeepers Creepers", and narrowly ahead of the Nicole Kidman thriller "The Others at No. 5 with $6.1 million. Rankings could change when final estimates are issued on Monday, especially as some rival studios ranked "Rock Star" at No. 5.
According to tracking firm Exhibitor Relations, the top 12 films grossed about $62.6 million, down 17 percent from the equivalent three-day portion of the previous Labor Day holiday weekend, but up 39 percent from the year-ago period when the Keanu Reeves thriller "The Watcher" was tops.
New releases next weekend include the Reeves urban baseball melodrama "Hardball" and the thriller "The Glass House".
"The Musketeer", starring Justin Chambers as D'Artagnan, one of the three fabled swordsmen who save the French monarchy, was marketed as a merger of classic chivalry and cutting-edge chopsocky moves. Critics were unimpressed, even though the cast also included acclaimed actors Tim Roth, Stephen Rea and Catherine Deneuve.
Universal Pictures, a unit of Vivendi Universal, teamed up with Disney-owned Miramax Films to buy the North American and U.K. rights for $7.5 million, and they will split the pool evenly. The film cost about $40 million to make, a Universal spokesman said.
"Two Can Play That Game", starring Vivica A. Fox as a vindictive girlfriend, attracted a primarily black audience, said a spokesman for Sony Corp., which released the $6 million film through its Screen Gems unit.
Opening sales for "Rock Star", loosely based on the true story of a salesman who was drafted in to become the new lead singer of metal band Judas Priest, were disappointing, said Warner Bros. distribution president Dan Fellman. However, the film did do well in college towns, and he hoped support from the 18 to 35 age group might give it some extra strength. Warner Bros. is a unit of AOL Time Warner Inc.
"Jeepers Creepers", a teen-targeted horror slasher that ruled the box office last weekend, has now made $24.3 million after 10 days. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. paid $2.5 million for North American rights and released it through its United Artists arthouse banner.
"The Others", a haunted-house thriller that earned rave notices for Kidman, has pulled in $67.6 million after 31 days.
Elsewhere, sixth-ranked "Rush Hour 2" surpassed the $200 million mark to become the highest grossing film in the history of its AOL Time Warner Inc.-owned distributor, New Line Cinema. The Jackie Chan/Chris Tucker comedy earned $5.9 million over the weekend, to take its total to $206.1 million. New Line's previous record was held by 1999's "Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me" with $205.8 million.
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