Rush Hour 3 raced to the top of the North American box office this weekend with an estimated US$50.2 million.
Despite launching at 3,778 sites on Friday, the sequel directed by Brett Ratner and starring Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan failed to surpass the $67.5 million opening of its predecessor, Rush Hour 2.
Last week's winner, The Bourne Ultimatum, dropped to the No. 2 spot, scoring $33.7 million and lifting its total haul to $132.3 million after two weeks in release. Helmed by Paul Greengrass, the third installment of the series based on Robert Ludlum's novels outdid the first film's take at the box office and is barely $44 million away from beating The Bourne Supremacy.
Meanwhile, The Simpsons Movie continued to pull audiences, earning $11.1 million from ticket sales and reaching a cumulative gross of $152.2 million after three weeks in theaters.
New entry Stardust landed on No. 4, taking home $9 million. The science-fiction epic directed by Matthew Vaughn and starring Claire Danes, Robert De Niro, and Michelle Pfeiffer opened at 2,540 locations, but failed to connect with moviegoers.
Down from No. 3 to No. 5, Walt Disney Pictures' Underdog collected $6.5 million this weekend, lifting its total gross to $24.7 million.
This upcoming weekend, three wide releases will compete for the top spot at the North American box office.
Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig team up in The Invasion, a science-fiction thriller — another remake of Invasion of the Body Snatchers — directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel, the man behind the acclaimed Downfall. In the role of a psychiatrist, Kidman will uncover the shocking truth behind a terrifying extraterrestrial invasion that could devastate the entire planet.
Also opening is Superbad, a new comedy produced by Judd Apatow, the director of Knocked Up and The 40-Year-Old Virgin. The story follows two friends as they try to hook up with girls before graduating from high school. Superbad opens at 2,800 locations.
In The Last Legion, director Doug Lefler takes us back to the Roman Empire, when Romulus Augustus embarks on a perilous journey in search of the only legion remaining loyal to Rome. Colin Firth and Ben Kingsley star.
Source: Box Office Mojo (www.boxofficemojo.com)
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