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Crime pays off for Gangster
05/11/2007 14:07 - (SA)
Los Angeles - Denzel Washington and
Russell Crowe shot their way to the top of the North American
box office as American Gangster sold about $46.3m in
tickets during its first weekend, distributor Universal
Pictures said on Sunday.
Bee Movie, DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc's heavily
marketed collaboration with Jerry Seinfeld, flew in at No 2
with $39.1m.
Last weekend's champion, the Lions Gate Entertainment Corp
horror movie Saw IV, fell to a distant No 3 with $11.0m.
Universal, which had hoped for a $40m start for
American Gangster, said the true-life crime saga set a new
personal best for its two Oscar-winning stars.
Ridley Scott
Washington's
previous record was $29m for Inside Man, and Crowe's
was $35m for Gladiator.
The $100m movie was directed by Sir Ridley Scott,
who also made Gladiator. Universal is a unit of General
Electric Co.
DreamWorks had been hoping for an opening above $35m
for Bee Movie, from producer/writer/star Seinfeld.
The film
cost about $150m to make, and a similar amount has been
budgeted for its worldwide theatrical marketing campaign.
- Reuters
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South Africa
