What Lies At #1

files/pictures/picture-35.jpgScaring the mutants out of #1, DreamWorks’ WHAT LIES BENEATH finished atop the U.S. box office charts. The haunted house horror flick, with primary visual effects by SPI, grossed US$29.7 million. Slipping to second, THE X-MEN, with primary visual effects by Cinesite, CORE Digital, Digital Domain, Hammerhead Productions, Kleiser-Walczak Co., Matte World and POP Film, dropped 56% from its opening weekend, but still racking up another $23.47 million. The super-powered sci-fi spectacle has made $99.32 million and eclipsed $100 million on Monday, to become the 10th fastest film in history to hit the 9-digit mark. As a sign that Pokemania is still strong, but getting a bit old, POKEMON THE MOVIE 2000’s premiere could only hit third. The little pocket monsters, however, did well for Warner Bros. with an estimated $19.58 million. Falling into fourth, Dimension Film’s SCARY MOVIE grossed an estimated $15.12 million. The SCREAM series spoof, with primary visual effects by Centropolis Effects, has become a big summer surprise with a cume of $116.4 million thus far. THE PERFECT STORM surfaced at #5, with an approximate gross of $9.68 million. The hurricane hullabaloo, with primary visual effects by ILM, extended its cume to $145.4 million. Tied for seventh with the debut of the teen comedy LOSER, Sony’s PATRIOT grossed an estimated $6.24 million. The Revolution reality reworking, with primary visual effects by Centropolis Effects, DOD and CFX, has tallied up $93.4 million in the States. CHICKEN RUN slid into the ninth slot with an estimated gross of $4.6 million. DreamWorks’ summer surprise has made quite a bit more than chicken feed, with its current cume hovering around $85.99 million. Falling to #13, MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 2, with primary visual effects by Pacific Data Images, Double Negative Ltd. and CFC, added another $1.27 million to its $209.9 million. Plummeting from 9th place to the 14th slot, GONE IN 60 SECONDS, with primary visual effects by Asylum Visual Effects and Disney’s Secret Lab, has crash-landed an additional $1.17 million, advancing its cume to $93.58 million. Paramount’s SHAFT has shifted to #15 with a gross of $1.06 million, bringing its cume to $67.95 million. Finishing in 16th place, GLADIATOR, with primary visual effects by Mill Film Ltd., grossed another $1.05 million, raising its cume in the States to $178.5 million. Moving down to 17th place, THE ADVENTURES OF ROCKY AND BULLWINKLE, with primary visual effects by ILM and animation by Wild Brain, garnered an additional $673,130 to bring its cume to $22.43 million. Other animated and special effects laden films finishing in the top fifty were: U-571 at #22, with a gross of $199,640 and a cume of $76.37 million; DINOSAUR at #23, with a gross of $176,839 and a cume of $133.2 million; FLINTSTONES VIVA ROCK VEGAS at #25, with a gross of $168,365 and a cume of $34.68 million; T-REX: BACK TO THE CRETACEOUS at #27, with a gross of $162,000 and a cume of $32 million; FINAL DESTINATION at #29, with a gross of $150,388 and a cume of $52.86 million; TITAN A.E. at #31, with a gross of $131,231 and a gross of $22.14 million; WHERE THE HEART IS at #37, with a gross of $102,418 and a cume of $33.4 million; ALIEN ADVENTURE at #40, with a gross of $81,367 and a cume of $1.87 million; and FREQUENCY at #46, with a gross of $65,689 and a cume of $43.68 million. Box office reports obtained in THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER.