Chinese ‘Hero’ Still Tops at Holiday Box Office
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – The Chinese martial arts thriller “Hero” held onto the No. 1 slot at the North American box office during the U.S. Labor Day holiday, helping to consign four newcomers to a quick oblivion.
“Hero,” released by Miramax Films, earned about $9 million in the three days beginning Sept. 3, according to estimates provided on Sunday by two rival studios. Officials from Walt Disney Co. -owned Miramax were not available for comment.
Directed by Zhang Yimou, “Hero” stars action hero Jet Li as a nameless warrior in the third century BC. It was released in China two years ago, and nominated for a foreign-language Oscar last year.
The adventure comedy “Without a Paddle” rose one place to No. 2 with a three-day sum of $7.1 million in its third weekend, said its distributor, Paramount Pictures. Its total rose to $37.9 million.
It swapped places with Sony Pictures’ reptilian sequel “Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid” with $6.4 million in its second round, and a 10-day haul of $22.3 million.
“Paparazzi” was the best of the new releases, opening at No. 4 with just $6.3 million, said distributor, Twentieth Century Fox. The film, from Mel Gibson’s Icon production company, revolves around an action star (played by Cole Hauser), who hunts down a gang of criminal photographers, led by Tom Sizemore.
“The Cookout,” an urban comedy starring newcomer Quran Pender as a basketball star who throws a neighborhood barbecue, opened at No. 5 with $5.6 million, said distributor Lions Gate Films, a unit of Lions Gate Entertainment Corp .
The psychological drama “Wicker Park,” starring Josh Hartnett in a remake of the French film “L’Appartement,” opened with $5.4 million, according to distributor Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc . It tied at No. 6 with Disney’s romantic comedy “The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement,” which has earned $83.4 million after four weekends.
“Vanity Fair,” a period drama starring Reese Witherspoon in director Mira Nair’s adaptation of the William Makepeace Thackeray novel, opened at No. 8 with $4.9 million. Since its Wednesday release, it has earned $6.0 million, said distributor Focus Features.
The Labor Day weekend is traditionally one of the slowest of the year as Americans fire up their barbecues one last time for the final holiday of the summer. The next few weekends promise to be similarly quiet as well.
Categories