Box Office: Third Helping of Pie

ByABC News
August 28, 2001, 7:27 PM

August 26 -- Five new poorly reviewed films were no match this weekend for the tried-and-true American Pie 2, which by default was the No. 1 film for the third week in a row, earning $12.8 million.

Only two other films have managed to stay on top that long in this dog-eat-dog movie year: the gory thriller Hannibal and the zippy family film Spy Kids. American Pie 2 now has a cumulative total of $109.6 million.

Also holding steady were the Jackie Chan-Chris Tucker action comedy Rush Hour 2 (No. 2 with $11.4 million) and the spooky, well-reviewed Nicole Kidman starrer The Others (No. 4 with $8.6 million).

Jay and Silent Bob Fares Best of New BatchOf the weekend's new films, only Kevin Smith's raunchy new comedy, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, which played mostly to Smith's faithful fan-boy hordes, did respectable business. The showbiz satire, which is loaded with star cameos and inside jokes that only diehard fans are likely to appreciate, placed third with $11.1 million.

Summer Catch, another breezy teen romance starring Freddie Prinze Jr., and the sci-fi actioner John Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars limped into the Top 10 at No. 6 and No. 9, respectively.

Woody Allen's latest period mystery, The Curse of the Jade Scorpion, in which the 65-year-old romances both a 38-year-old Helen Hunt and a 26-year-old Charlize Theron, opened at No. 11 with $2.5 million.

Bubble Boy, which has been protested for a lighthearted portrayal of its immunodeficient lead character, opened out of the Top 10 with $2 million.

Last week's new entries, the rambunctious road comedy Rat Race and the World War II romance Captain Corelli's Mandolin, both fell two places, placing, respectively, fifth with $8.3 million and eighth with $3.9 million.

The Top 10 films for Aug. 24-26, 2001:

American Pie 2, $12.8 millionRush Hour 2, $11.4 millionJay and Silent Bob Strike Back, $11.1 millionThe Others, $8.6 millionRat Race, $8.3 millionSummer Catch, $7.5 millionThe Princess Diaries, $6.7 millionCaptain Corelli's Mandolin, $3.9 millionJohn Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars, $3.8 millionPlanet of the Apes, $3.5 million