Los Angeles, July 16: Walt Disney Co.'s Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, a high-seas extravaganza starring Johnny Depp, sailed to the top of the North American box office on Sunday.
The movie, based on a Disneyland attraction, sold about $46.4 million worth of tickets for the Friday-to-Sunday period, Disney said. Including sales since it opened on Wednesday, the movie's booty stands at $70.4 million.



The movie was produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, who is expected to own the No. 1 slot next weekend as well, albeit with a different film, the crime drama Bad Boys II. Industry observers said Pirates of the Caribbean cost between $120 million and $140 million to make.



Overall sales for the top 12 films totaled $136 million, according to box-office tracking firm Exhibitor Relations. The tally represents a 3.4 percent increase on the year-ago period, and a 7.3 percent jump from last weekend. The lucrative summer season has been more notable for its flops (The Hulk, Charlie's Angels, Hollywood Homicide) than hits (Finding Nemo, Bruce Almighty).
Last week's champion, Arnold Schwarzenegger's $175 million-budgeted Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, fell two places to No. 3 in its second weekend with $19.6 million. Its 55 percent slide was one of the steepest in the top 10. With $110.5 million banked so far, distributor Warner Bros. forecast it would reach $150 million. The previous movie in the sci-fi trilogy, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, grossed $205 million in 1991.



Terminator 3 will still do better than The Hulk and Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, which are projected to end up with about $130 million and $100 million, respectively.
Universal Pictures' $150 million comic book action drama The Hulk fell four places to No. 9 in its fourth weekend with $3.7 million, also down 55 percent. Its total stands at $124.7 million.



Columbia Pictures' $130 million Charlie's Angels sequel fell three places to No. 6 with $7.3 million in its third weekend, down 48 percent. Its total stands at $81.7 million. The first film grossed $125 million in 2000.

The top 10 contained one other new entry: The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, a period crime drama starring Sean Connery and based on a comic book series, opened at No. 2 with $23.3 million. The 20th Century Fox film, budgeted in the upper $70 million range, exceeded the expectations of executives at the studio.



Rounding out the top five were the Reese Witherspoon comedy Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde at No. 4 with $12 million in its second weekend, followed by the animated hit Finding Nemo with $8.2 million in its seventh week. Blonde has earned $62.9 million so far; its 2001 predecessor finished with $97 million. The total for Nemo rose to $290.8 million, making it the biggest movie so far in 2003.
The top 10 films for July 11-13 1. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, $46.4 million 2. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, $23.3 million 3. Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, $19.6 million 4. Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde, $12 million 5. Finding Nemo, $8.2 million 6. Charlie`s Angels: Full Throttle, $7.3 million 7. Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas, $4.6 million 8. 28 Days Later, $4.3 million 9. The Hulk, $3.7 million 10 . The Italian Job, $2.8 million


Bureau Report