In a lackluster weekend at the U.S. box office, early reports had Sony’s HOLLOW MAN and Warner Bros.’ SPACE COWBOYS running neck-and-neck for the top spot, but in the end MAN finished first by a nose. HOLLOW, with primary visual effects by The Ranch Entertainment, Tippett Studios and Sony Imageworks, held on to first place, adding US$13.05 million to its $50.3 million cume. COWBOYS, with primary visual effects by ILM, moved up a spot to settle for second and a gross of $13.02 million, bringing its 10-day cume to $39.02 million. Falling to fifth behind live-action dramatic newcomers AUTUMN IN NEW YORK and THE REPLACEMENTS, NUTTY PROFESSOR II: THE KLUMPS rounded up another $10.22 million. The family Klumps, with primary visual effects by Double Negative Ltd., has landed a cume of $93.99 million thus far. DreamWorks’ WHAT LIES BENEATH surfaced in sixth with a gross of $9.74 million. The Michelle Pfeiffer doppelganger starrer, with primary visual effects by SPI, has grossed $112 million. Debuting in a disappointing seventh place, Paramount’s horror flick, BLESS THE CHILD, scared up $9.41 million. THE X-MEN came in at #9 with a gross of $4.14 million. The superhero hullabaloo, with primary visual effects by Cinesite, CORE Digital, Digital Domain, Hammerhead Productions, Kleiser-Walczak Co., Matte World and POP Film, has a total take of $143.9 million. Finishing out the top ten, THE PERFECT STORM washed up another $2.75 million. The wet and wild water ride, with primary visual effects by ILM, has swamped the pockets of Warner Bros. with $170.5 million so far. Falling three spots, SCARY MOVIE arrived in 11th place, with a gross of $2.53 million. The SCREAM-series spoof, with primary visual effects by Centropolis Effects, has made an amazing $144.8 million at the box office. Also down three places, THE PATRIOT claimed the 13th slot, amassing $1.45 million. CHICKEN RUN slid in at #14, with a gross of $1.32 million. The free range flyers, with stop-motion animation by Aardman Animations and 3D animation by Computer Film Company, London, have laid $99.9 million for DreamWorks thus far and will mark the company’s third $100 million plus film of the year. In addition, the feathered heroes will become the first non-cel animated feature and only the second non-Disney animated feature to reach the nine-digit plateau. In less positive toon news, THOMAS AND THE MAGIC RAILROAD has crashed landed in 15th place with a gross of $1.15 million. Even with Oscar-winner Peter Fonda along for the ride, THOMAS has only pulled in $13.28 million so far. Plummeting from 11th to 16th, POKEMON THE MOVIE 2000 piled up another $1.03 million, raising its cume to $40.7 million. Something to take note of is that POKEMON THE MOVIE made $52.1 million in its first five-days of release and the follow-up will be lucky to make that much in total. As a result, Warner Bros. has moved POKEMON 3 up to April from the summer – is the end of a phenomenon near? Other animated and special effects laden films finishing in the top fifty were: GLADIATOR at #20, with a gross of $342,837 and a cume of $181.6 million; T-REX: BACK TO THE CRETACEOUS at #21, with a gross of $289,154 and a cume of $32.89 million; GONE IN 60 SECONDS at #23, with a gross of $271,801 and a cume of $96.44 million; THE ADVENTURES OF ROCKY AND BULLWINKLE at #25, with a gross of $252,540 and a cume of $24.66 million; FREQUENCY at #27, with a gross of $249,882 and a cume of $44.12 million; MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 2 at #28, with a gross of $236,824 and a cume of $212.6 million; SHAFT at #41, with a gross of $97,931 and a cume of $69.36 million; ALIEN ADVENTURE at #45, with a gross of $81,456 and a cume of $2.26 million; and U-571 at #47, with a gross of $71,325 and a cume of $77.09 million. Box office reports obtained in THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER.