Audiences will pay to see an ass-kicking woman seek vengeance as evidenced by the $25.1M opening box office turned in by Miramaxs KILL BILL VOL. 2 to take the number one spot and best the October 2003 $22.1M opening of KILL BILL, VOL. 1. BILL 2, with vfx by K.NM.B. EFX Group, easily knocked out the competition from Marvel Studios and Lions Gates THE PUNISHER, which debuted in second place with $13.8M. Family entertainment was especially strong during the continuing spring break weekend as JOHNSON FAMILY VACATION took $5.9M in its second week for third place, earning $13.8M for Fox Searchlight. Sony/Revolution's HELLBOY (with vfx by The Orphanage, Tippett Studio, Eden FX, HimAnI Prods., among others), drew another $5.6M for $50.3M to date. Disney's animated HOME ON THE RANGE moved up during the week, attracting $5.5M in six place and a cume of $37.8M. Moving up a notch to number six was Warner Bros.' SCOOBY-DOO 2: MONSTERS UNLEASHED (with vfx by Rhythm & Hues and Giant Killer Robots), collecting $5.2MM for a total of $72.3M. MGM's WALKING TALL remake drew another $4.6M in its third week for nearly $36.6M. Miramax's ELLA ENCHANTED (with vfx by The Moving Picture Co., Cinesite (Europe) and Double Negative, among others) moved up to eighth place with $4.2M in its second week with a $13.6M cume. Disney's THE ALAMO (with vfx by Matte World Digital) dropped sharply to ninth place with $4.1M and a total take of $16.4 in its second week. Mel Gibson's THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST finished in the 10th spot with $4M, for the weekend ended April 18, 2004. So far, the biblical epic (with vfx by Keith Vanderlaan's Captive Audience) has racked up a phenomenal $360.7M. Box office information obtained from boxofficemojo.com.
