Jennifer Lopez kicked James Bond right off the top spot this weekend, as the J-Lo starrer MAID IN MANHATTAN debuted at number one with $19M. The romantic comedy barely topped STAR TREK: NEMESIS, which earned $18.8M its first weekend out. The latest installation in the Star Trek series features visual effects by Digital Domain and Eden FX. After fluctuating in and out of the number one spot, DIE ANOTHER DAY, with visual effects by Cinesite, dropped all the way to fifth, earning $7.5M for a four week total of $131.5M. The magic of HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS, seems to be fading as the film, with primary visual effects by ILM, earned $6.1M for a cume of $222.5M and fifth place. It will face some stiff fantasy competition on Wednesday, when THE TWO TOWERS, the highly anticipated second installment of LORD OF THE RINGS, goes into wide release. 'Tis not the season for animated films, as Disney's TREASURE PLANET is sinking fast, dropping four spots to ninth place with $3M for a three-week total of $27.8M. The other holiday animated feature in theaters is Adam Sandler's EIGHT CRAZY NIGHTS, which earned just $1.8M in its third week for a cume of $22.6M and eleventh place. THE WILD THORNBERRYS MOVIE, yet another animated feature, will join the box office fray on December 20, 2002. Of course it helps that the film has a built in fan base, as it is taken from the popular Nick television series THE WILD THORNBERRYS. Box office information obtained from yahoo.com and boxofficemojo.com.
