Spy Kids 3D Pulls Off Upset; Nemo Breaks Record

Out of nowhere, SPY KIDS 3D: GAME OVER topped the box office charts for the weekend ending July 27, 2003, bringing in $33.4M for Miramax's Dimension Films, with VFX by Hybride Technologies [1] and The Orphanage. Meanwhile, even though Disney/Pixar's FINDING NEMO reeled in $4.4M in the eighth spot, it topped $313M as this year's best grosser, good enough to break the LION KING's record as the all-time animation king. However, if you count the recent IMAX reissue, THE LION KING technically has earned a total of $328.5M. The weekend also featured, for the first, time five movies surpassing $20M, which is really spreading the wealth.

Disney's PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL [2] held firm in second place with $23.1M for a total of $176.8M. VFX was supplied by Industrial Light & Magic, Boy Wonder, CIS, Digiscope, Gray Matter FX, Method and Pacific Title. Sony's BAD BOYS II dropped to third with $22M for a cume of $88.5M. LARA CROFT TOMB RAIDER: THE CRADLE OF LIFE, with VFX by Cinesite (Europe) Ltd. [3], Double Negative and the Moving Picture Co. [4], debuted in a disappointing fourth position. Paramount's sequel to the blockbuster mustered $21.7M. Universal's SEABISCUIT debuted at number five with $20.8M, but boasted the best per screen average of the bunch. The Cinderella racehorse saga featured VFX by Pixel Playground Inc., Sony Pictures Imageworks [5] and The Orphanage.

THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN continued its slide at number six The Fox film collected $5M for a cume of $52.9M despite a legion of VFX services supplied by Industrial Light & Magic [6], Steve Johnson's Edge FX Inc., Double Negative, Cinesite (Europe) [7], New Deal Studios Inc., Tippett Studio [8], Computercafe Inc., Pixel Magic [9], VCE.Com/Peter Kuran, R!OT [10], Giant Killer Robots [11], Engine Room, Big Red Pixel, Mar Vista Ventures and Millennium FX Ltd.

TERMINATOR 3: RISE OF THE MACHINES [12] fell to number seven, capturing $5M for a total of $137.4M. The Warner Bros. actioner was bolstered by the combined VFX of Industrial Light & Magic [6], Anatomorphex, Pacific Data Images [13], Pacific Titles & Optical and Stan Winston Studio. JOHNNY ENGLISH, the British spy spoof starring Rowan Atkinson, clocked in at number nine with $4.3M. The Universal film, with VFX by Double Negative, has tallied $18.4M so far. Finishing at number 10 was MGM's LEGALLY BLONDE 2: RED, WHITE AND BLUE, which scored $2.7M for a cume of $82.1M, with VFX honors by Pixel Magic [9]. Box office information obtained from boxofficemojo.com.