LOS ANGELES (Reuters):The teen thriller Disturbia led the North American box office for a third weekend, as another slew of lowly new releases tried to get a toehold before next Friday's release of Spider-Man 3, the first big film of the lucrative summer moviegoing season.
Disturbia, a low-budget homage to Alfred Hitchcock's nosy-neighbour thriller Rear Window, sold US$9.1 million worth of tickets in the three days beginning Friday, distributor Paramount Pictures said yesterday. It's the lowest tally for a No. 1 movie since The Covenant earned US$8.9 million in the second weekend of September 2006.
The teen ghost drama The Invisible opened at number 2 this weekend with just US$7.6 million, while the Nicolas Cage action movie Next debuted at number 3 with US$7.2 million. Both were roughly in line with modest expectations.
New action movie
Also new were the action movie The Condemned at number 9 with US$4.0 million, and the comedy Kickin' It Old Skool at number 11 with US$2.8 million.
Disturbia, starring Shia LaBeouf, has earned US$52.2 million after three weekends, and gives Viacom Inc.-owned Paramount a five-weekend run at number 1.
The Invisible stars Justin Chatwin as a seemingly dead teen stuck in a ghostly limbo. The Disney release is directed by David Goyer, the film-maker behind the Blade franchise.
In Next, Cage plays a Las Vegas magician who tries to stop a terrorist plot, aided by his ability to see two minutes into the future. The Paramount Pictures release is directed by Lee Tamahori of Die Another Day fame. Next isthe latest film in a hugely variable career for Cage. The Oscar winner was last in theatres with the surprise hit Ghost Rider, which opened to US$45.4 million in February.
Condemned, released by Lionsgate, stars wrestling hero Steve Austin as a death row convict who must fight for his freedom in a reality TV style competition.
Top 10 at box office
| 1 | Disturbia US$ 9.1 million |
| 2 | The Invisible |
US$7.6 million 3 | Next US$7.2 million |
| 4 | Fracture US$7.1 million |
| 5 | Blades of Glory |
US$5.2 million 6 | Meet the Robinsons |
US$4.8 million 7 | Hot Fuzz US$4.8 million |
| 8 | Vacancy US$4.2 million |
| 9 | The Condemned |
US$4.0 million 10 | Are We Done Yet? |
US$3.4 million
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