The final numbers from this weekend's box office have been tallied, and it was a close one! Although Disney officials predicted the traditionally animated duo LILO & STITCH will take the number one spot over the powerful combination of Tom Cruise and Steven Spielberg, it was not to be. It was down to the wire, but Spielberg's MINORITY REPORT, with primary visual effects by ILM, prevailed, edging out LILO & STITCH for the number one spot with $35.7M. But the little Hawaiian girl and her unlikely alien friend are breathing down Spielberg's neck as LILO & STITCH landed firmly in second place with $35.3M. Last week's number one film SCOOBY DOO, fell to third, but still managed to pull in a healthy $24.5M in its second week. The comedy caper, with visual effects by Rhythm & Hues and Warner Bros. Feature Animation, has just passed the $100M mark, with $100.3M to date. Espionage thriller THE BOURNE IDENTITY was in fourth place, adding $15.1M for a two-week gross of $54.4M. Still going strong in its fourth week of release is THE SUM OF ALL FEARS, with visual effects by Rhythm & Hues. Landing in fifth place, the CIA actioner took in $7.8M for a cume of $97.3M. War flick WINDTALKERS, with visual effects by Cinesite, slipped to sixth, dropping over 50% from its debut weekend, earning $6.6M for a total of $26.6M. STAR WARS: EPISODE II and SPIDER-MAN rounded out the top ten, in ninth and tenth places, respectively. EPISODE II, with visual effects by ILM, added $5.2M for a cume of $279.8M, while SPIDER-MAN, with visual effects by Sony Imageworks, earned $4.6M on its way to $390.4M after eight weeks in release. SPIRIT: STALLION OF THE CIMARRON has dropped out of the top ten this week, with $2M and a five-week cume of $68.3M for thirteenth place. Box office information obtained from yahoo.com.
Has Disney's magic returned with LILO & STITCH? Jerry Beck thinks so. As he explains in his review of the film, there is a lot to like about Disney's long-awaited summer release.
