Box Office: Denzel Has His Day

October 7 -- Four new movie offerings this weekend — the crime drama Training Day, the lighthearted romance Serendipity, the Disney family film Max Keeble's Big Move, and the thriller Joy Ride — proved a tonic to the box office and pushed attendance up by 35 percent from last week

It may have seemed like a bad time for Denzel Washington, whose film roles up until now have offered variations on goodness and nobility, to go over to the dark side with a turn as a ruthless villain. Instead, the actor's turn as a rule-bending cop in the gritty urban drama Training Day gave the Oscar winner the biggest box-office weekend of his career, and early buzz about another Oscar.

The film, in which Washington's brash undercover officer shows an idealistic rookie (Ethan Hawke) the mean streets of Los Angeles, took in $24.2 million, according to studio estimates.

The well-reviewed film, from director Antoine Fuqua, also ranks as the second-best October opening, behind last year's Meet the Parents, which opened with $28 million.Serendipity, a whimsical romance set in a fairy-tale-perfect New York City, took the second spot with an estimated $14 million. The romantic comedy stars John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale as two perfect-for-each-other Manhattanites whom fate brings together — and then cruelly keeps apart for years.

Also new this weekend were the teen horror movie Joy Ride, which opened in fifth place with $7.4 million, and the family film Max Keeble's Big Move, which opened in sixth place with $5.5 million.

Last week's No. 1 film, Don't Say a Word, slipped to third place with $10 million, while audiences looking for a laugh kept Zoolander from falling farther than fourth place, where it earned an estimated $9.9 million.

The Top 10 films for Oct. 5-7

1. Training Day, $24.2 million2. Serendipity, $14 million3. Don't Say a Word, $10 million4. Zoolander, $9.9 million5. Joy Ride, $7.4 million6. Max Keeble's Big Move, $5.5 million7. Hearts in Atlantis, $5.4 million8. Hardball, $3.7 million9. The Others, $3 million10. Rush Hour 2, $1.8 million