In typical summer blockbuster fashion, the newly released NUTTY PROFESSOR II: THE KLUMPS has dethroned last week’s U.S. box office champion WHAT LIES BENEATH. The KLUMPS’ Eddie Murphy-marathon, with primary visual effects by Double Negative Ltd., finished in first place with a gross of US$42.52 million. WHAT LIES came in at second with a gross of $22.86 million. The Harrison Ford haunter, with primary visual effects by SPI, has rounded up $69.35 million in only 10 days in release. In third, THE X-MEN grossed $12.68 million. With primary visual effects by Cinesite, CORE Digital, Digital Domain, Hammerhead Productions, Kleiser-Walczak Co., Matte World and POP Film, the mutant superheroes’ cume stands at $122.9 million thus far. Both SCARY MOVIE and THE PERFECT STORM held on to the fourth and fifth slots respectively. The SCREAM-series send-off, with primary visual effects by Centropolis Effects, amassed $8.31 million, advancing its cume to $132.1 million. The wave-riding wonder, with primary visual effects by ILM, whetted audiences to the tune of $7.52 million, bringing its cume to $158.1 million. Proving that a collectors’ drive to snatch up free limited edition POKEMON cards on the opening week is more a drawing factor than the film, POKEMON THE MOVIE 2000 sank to sixth, down 68% with a gross of $6.2 million. The Pikachu pic has rounded up $33.05 million thus far. In eighth place, THE PATRIOT brought in $4.44 million, raising its cume over the 9-digit mark to $101.2 million. In a lackluster debut, THOMAS AND THE MAGIC RAILROAD finished in ninth place. The little engine that couldn’t find enough box office steam landed only $4.15 over the weekend and $6.56 million since its Wednesday, July 26 debut. Rounding out the top ten was DreamWork’s darling CHICKEN RUN. The plucky poultry party added $3.44 million to its $92.88 million cume. Actually in a move back up two spots to #14, GLADIATOR, with primary visual effects by Mill Film Ltd., grossed another $1.05 million, bringing its cume to $180 million. Slipping from #13 to #15, MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 2, with primary visual effects by Pacific Data Images, Double Negative Ltd. and CFC, grossed an additional $840,682, advancing its cume to $211.3 million. With primary visual effects by Asylum Visual Effects and Disney’s Secret Lab, GONE IN 60 SECONDS came in at #16 with a gross of $779,840, raising its cume to $95.01 million. In at #18, THE ADVENTURES OF ROCKY AND BULLWINKLE, with primary visual effects by ILM and animation by Wild Brain, added $477,760 to its cume of $23.42 million. Finishing the weekend at #19, SHAFT grossed $454,612, advancing its cume to $68.81 million. Other animated and special effects laden films finishing in the top fifty were: U-571 at #27, with a gross of $179,375 and a cume of $76.67 million; FLINTSTONES VIVA ROCK VEGAS at #31, with a gross of $125,235 and a cume of $34.92 million; DINOSAUR at #32, with a gross of $124,029 and a cume of $133.5 million; FINAL DESTINATION at #36, with a gross of $91,690 and a cume of $53.05 million; ALIEN ADVENTURE at #38, with a gross of $81,856 and a cume of $2 million; and T-REX: BACK TO THE CRETACEOUS at #27, with a gross of $59,718 and a cume of $32.13 million. Box office reports obtained in THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER.