By Dean Goodman
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Moviegoers across North America
were in a fighting mood during the weekend, cheering the family
cartoon "Kung Fu Panda" to the top spot at a box office packed
with hits.
DreamWorks Animation's Jack Black comedy about a panda who
dreams of martial arts glory handily earned an estimated $60
million during its first three days, distributor Paramount
Pictures said on Sunday. The firms had hoped for an opening in
the high $40 million range.
But it was not a complete knockout. Columbia Pictures' Adam
Sandler comedy "You Don't Mess with the Zohan," in which the
comedian plays an Israeli commando-turned-New York hairdresser,
opened at No. 2 with $40 million. It also beat forecasts of a
debut in the mid- to high $30 million range.
But observers said top honors really could have gone either
way. In one corner, "Kung Fu Panda" was powered by rave reviews
and an underserved family audience; in the other, Sandler could
count on young male fans unlikely to be swayed by negative
notices from puzzled critics.
As it turned out, both played beyond their traditional
audiences. DreamWorks Animation said 71 percent of the audience
was older than 17, while Columbia said women accounted for 51
percent of the "Zohan" crowd.
'SEX' LOSES STEAM
Last weekend's champ, New Line Cinema's romantic comedy
"Sex and the City," fell to No. 4 with $21.3 million, a massive
63 percent drop from its surprisingly strong opening weekend.
Sales to date stand at $99.3 million for the big-screen
adaptation of HBO's fashion-and-relationship series.
Just ahead of it was "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the
Crystal Skull" with $22.8 million, down one place. The total
for the Paramount-distributed adventure rose to $253 million
after three weekends.
