The high-tech suit worn by Jackie Chan in the action comedy THE TUXEDO didn't protect the film from being solidly trounced by Reese Witherspoon's romantic comedy SWEET HOME ALABAMA, as the two new releases battled it out for the top spot. SWEET HOME ALABAMA landed in first place with $35.6M, while THE TUXEDO, with visual effects by Sony Pictures Imageworks, had a so-so $15M debut, which was good for second. Last week's number one film BARBERSHOP moved to third with $10M and a two-week total of $51.3M. MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING landed in fourth with $9.4M and a cume of $136.6M. In animated film news, the English dubbed version of Miyazaki's SPIRITED AWAY expanded into an additional 27 theaters and jumped up one spot on the chart, moving to 17th place with a weekend gross of $527,700 for a two-week total of $1.1M. The film is currently playing in ten cities and will expand into more North American locations on October 4. Box office information obtained from boxofficemojo.com.

Chris Lanier discusses the themes of Hayao Miyazaki’s SPIRITED AWAY. What starts as a parable of the terrifying adult world turns to a world of delight due to Miyazaki's trademarks of kindness and humanity.