'Pie 2' High in Box Office Sky

Aug. 19, 2001 -- American Pie 2 became the first movie since Pearl Harbor to top the box office for two weeks in a row, leading the weekend pack with a gross of $21.4 million.

That's the first time in a month that the No. 1 movie has made less than $40 million. Though repeats have been rare this summer, AP2 wasn't hurting for competition: three major new releases opened this weekend to resounding thuds.

Largely positive reviews weren't able to scare up more than $11.8 million for Paramount's ensemble comedy Rat Race, a third place finisher. The Nicolas Cage romance Captain Corelli's Mandolin opened in sixth ($7.1 million), bringing an end to Universal Pictures' string of mega-openers.

The Warner Bros. Western American Outlaws chugged home in eighth place with a dismal $4.8 million, further deferring the stardom of heavily-hyped hunk Colin Farrell.

Box office watchers should note that Rush Hour 2 is now on track to surpass Planet of the Apes and Jurassic Park III and wind up as one of the biggest successes of the summer.

The Princess Diaries and The Others also had big weekends . The former has pulled down $70.1 million to date — an absolute gobsmacker of a sum for a G-rated live-action movie. The latter's numbers suggests Nicole Kidman may be starting to turn into a major box office draw at long last.

Andrew Johnston is a film critic and associate editor at US WEEKLY magazine.