The Stephen Spielberg extravaganza War of the Worlds dominated the North American box office last weekend, but its take was well behind what Spider Man 2 drew last year, according to estimates.
The science fiction movie starring Tom Cruise attracted nearly four in 10 moviegoers for a take of US$77.6 million.
But it was still US$38 million off last year's Fourth of July weekend blockbuster, Spider Man 2, which took in US$115.8 million, according to Encino, California-based Exhibitor Relations Co Inc.
Bleak overall box office receipts continued. The dozen top-grossing films earned a combined US$160.1 million over the weekend, down 25 percent from the US$212.8 million generated by the top 12 films a year earlier.
The tally was the 19th in a row to show a dip in grosses when compared with the same period a year earlier.
Batman Begins, the fifth Batman offering, was in a distant second place with US$18.7 million. The Angelina Jolie-Brad Pitt shootfest Mr and Mrs Smith was third, raking in US$12.7 million.
It was followed by Bewitched, based on the popular 1960s television sitcom about the star-crossed marriage between a winsome witch and her mortal husband, which pulled in US$10.8 million.
The Disney movie Herbie: Fully Loaded was fifth, earning US$10.5 million.
In sixth place was the animated Madagascar (US$7 million), followed by the debut of the sports comedy Rebound starring Martin Lawrence (US$6.1 million); and Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (US$6 million).
Another sports comedy, The Longest Yard (US$3.5 million) was in ninth place, followed by the fright flick The Land of the Dead with US$3.2 million.
Russell Crowe's boxing movie Cinderella Man sank to 11th with a US$3 million haul, followed by the kiddie comedy The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D, with US$2.1 million.
British actor Jason Statham and US actress Leelee Sobieski will star in a US$60 million Hollywood film version of the hit video game Dungeon Siege, the Hollywood Reporter said.
The movie adaptation of the role-playing game, which plunges players into a fantasy world reminiscent of The Lord of the Rings, begins filming in the Canadian city of Vancouver, the entertainment industry staple said.
Stratham has starred in major movies including Collateral and Cellular, while Sobieski has acted in such films as Eyes Wide Shut.
Dungeon Siege, a game released by Microsoft in 2002, marks the latest in a string of video games to make the leap from the computer screen to the silver screen.
It follows deals to make movies of games including Hitman, Alice, Halo, Max Payne and Doom.
A new film providing the most complete portrait so far of Bosnian Serb war crimes fugitive Ratko Mladic dissects nationalist myths of his military prowess and undercuts his hero status among many Serbs.
The Rise and Fall of General Mladic was to be broadcast on Serbian television this week ahead of the 10th anniversary of the 1995 Srebrenica massacre. It juxtaposes wartime footage of the general at his height with sober comment by those who knew him.
Mladic, 63, is accused of genocide by the UN war crimes tribunal in The Hague for the killing of 8,000 Muslim men and boys, all captives of his forces, at Srebrenica, as well as for the 43-month siege of Sarajevo in which some 12,000 died.
The 40th International Film Festival in the western Czech spa of Karlovy Vary kicked off last week, presenting its top award to US actor and director Robert Redford at a gala opening ceremony.
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