movie news : "Miami Vice" cops defeat "Pirates" at box office

Miami Vice" was the top destination for weekend moviegoers across North America, as the high-powered remake of the slick TV series ended the three-week reign of "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest."

Among other new releases, the Tom Hanks-produced cartoon "The Ant Bully" tanked, while young women turned out in force for the lively romantic comedy "John Tucker Must Die."

"Miami Vice," starring Jamie Foxx and Colin Farrell as suave drug-busters, earned about $25.2 million during its first three days, distributor Universal Pictures said on Sunday.


The tally consists of actual sales for Friday and Saturday, and estimated sales for Sunday. Final data will be issued on Monday.

The $135 million film was directed by Michael Mann, an executive producer of the original 1980s television series. The shoot was plagued by hurricanes, injuries, and a shootout on location in the Dominican Republic. But the finished product drew warm reviews from critics despite an opaque plot.

Universal, a unit of General Electric Co.'s NBC Universal, said almost two-thirds of the audience was aged 30 and older, and exit polling indicated that Foxx was the main draw.

If the estimate holds, it would rank as Mann's No. 1 opening, surpassing the $24.7 million debut of his 2004 film "Collateral," also starring Foxx.

DISNEY RECORD

Walt Disney Co.'s "Pirates" sequel slipped to No. 2 with $20.5 million in its fourth round. The buccaneer sequel now ranks as the No. 1 domestic release in the firm's history, with a booty of $358.4 million. The 2003 cartoon "Finding Nemo" held the record with $339.7 million.

"John Tucker Must Die" followed at No. 3 with $14.1 million, slightly exceeding the expectations of its distributor, News Corp.'s 20th Century Fox. The film, which cost about $18 million to make, stars Jesse Metcalfe, the jailbait gardener in ABC's "Desperate Housewives."

"The Ant Bully," a cartoon based on a children's book, has a high-wattage voice cast, including Julia Roberts, Nicolas Cage and Meryl Streep. But it only managed a No. 5 debut with $8.1 million. Distributor Warner Bros. Pictures had hoped for an opening in the mid-teens.

The film marks the second consecutive dud for the Time Warner Inc. unit, following "Lady in the Water." The M. Night Shyamalan fantasy earned $7 million in its second weekend, for a 10-day haul of $32 million. The studio hopes it will reach $48 million, less than half the earnings of his 2004 under-performer "The Village."

One reason for the disappointing opening of "The Ant Bully" was competition from another cartoon, "Monster House," which fell two places to No. 4 with $11.5 million in its second weekend. The 10-day tally for Columbia Pictures' animated film stands at $43.9 million. Columbia is a unit of Sony Corp .

"SUNSHINE" ENLIGHTENS

The art house scene was busy over the weekend, with Woody Allen's crime farce "Scoop" and the Sundance Film Festival favorite "Little Miss Sunshine" opening in limited release.

Despite mixed reviews, "Scoop" earned $3 million from 538 theaters. The film stars Allen's latest muse, Scarlett Johansson, and Hugh Jackman. Distributor Focus Features, also a unit of NBC Universal, said it was very happy with the opening, but would not expand the film beyond its current theater count.

"Little Miss Sunshine," a comedy revolving around a dysfunctional family's road trip to California, earned a stellar $356,863 from seven theaters in New York and Los Angeles. It will expand to additional cities over the next two weekends before going into national release on August 18. It was released by News Corp.'s Fox Searchlight arm, which bought the film at Sundance in January.

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