Los Angeles — "Pearl Harbor" won an easy victory at the box office, debuting as the No. 1 film with $75.1 million over the four-day weekend.
The heavily hyped World War II epic fell short of setting individual box-office records, but it helped lift Hollywood to an apparent record-breaking weekend.
The overall box office was on target to beat the all-time high of $183.7 million set last Memorial Day weekend, when "Mission: Impossible 2" debuted. The top 12 movies alone grossed $176.6 million this weekend, up 3 percent from the same holiday weekend last year.
The final tally will not be available until today, when weekend grosses for all films are counted.
"Pearl Harbor" had the second-best Memorial Day opening ever, behind the $90.2 million gross for "The Lost World: Jurassic Park" in 1997.
Last week's top film, the computer-animated "Shrek," slipped to No. 2 but had an impressive second weekend, grossing $54.2 million, according to studio estimates Monday.
"Shrek," featuring the voices of Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz and Eddie Murphy, has taken in $110.7 million in just 10 days, passing "Chicken Run" as DreamWorks' top-grossing animated film.
"The Mummy Returns" took third place with $19.1 million, pushing its total to $170.7 million. The sequel passed the $155 million taken in by "The Mummy" in 1999.
"Pearl Harbor," "Shrek" and "The Mummy Returns" are all on track to top $200 million. That would equal the number of films released in all of 2000 to hit that mark, with many potential blockbusters still to come this year.
"This is just the beginning. It's going to be a big year," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations.
In limited release, the Nicole Kidman-Ewan McGregor musical "Moulin Rouge" continued playing to sellout crowds. In its second weekend, the movie took in a remarkable $254,000 in just two theaters, one in New York City and one in Los Angeles. "Moulin Rouge" will open nationwide this coming weekend.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Monday at North American theaters, according to Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc.:
1. "Pearl Harbor," $75.1 million.
2. "Shrek," $54.2 million.
3. "The Mummy Returns," $19.1 million.
4. "A Knight's Tale," $9.3 million.
5. "Angel Eyes," $6.3 million
6. "Bridget Jones's Diary," $4 million.
7. "Along Came a Spider," $2.2 million.
8. "Memento," $1.9 million.
9. "Blow, $1.3 million.
10. "Driven," $1.2 million.
Comments
Lawrence.com does not necessarily agree with comments posted below - responsibility lies with the relevant user alone. Read our full policy.