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US ENTERTAINMENT. Cont'd.

Pitt muscles his way to the top

Troy tops box office with $45.6 million

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Muscle-bound Brad Pitt fought his way through scrawnier competition to help the Greek epic Troy claim the top spot at the box office with $45.6 million. A handful of older movies aimed at teenagers continued to dominate the top 10. Lindsay Lohan's high-school comedy Mean Girls continued its strong run with $10.1 million for third place, dropping only 26 per cent in its third week. 13 Going on 30 fell only 28 per cent to earn $4.2 million for sixth place. Even the Olsen twins bomb New York Minute fell by a relatively small 37 per cent to earn $3.7 million in seventh place. Most movies this time of year see earnings drop 50 per cent or more each week. "These are very minimal drops, which shows that the most consistent audience right now is young girls," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations Co. "There are teen guys in the theatres, too. But I'll bet you it's the female in the couple deciding which movie they go to see." That may also have been a factor with Troy, which boasted hunky stars Pitt, Orlando Bloom and Eric Bana. The film's audience was split equally between male and female viewers, according to Dan Fellman, head of distribution for Warner Bros., which released the movie. "Males liked it because of the action and epic adventure of the movie. The females liked it because of Brad, Orlando and Eric," he said. Meanwhile, the Dracula, Wolf Man and Frankenstein action-adventure Van Helsing saw 61 per cent of its audience turn to dust in its second week, falling to No. 2 with $20.1 million for a cumulative total of $84.5 million, according to studio estimates Sunday. Despite the apparently strong earnings for Troy and Van Helsing, their massive budgets and the intensity of the summer movie competition suggest they will have a hard time earning their money back in North American theatres. Troy cost a reported $175 million to $200 million to produce, while Van Helsing was in the $160-million range. Add to each about $50 million in marketing costs, and they will likely rely on international ticket sales and home video releases to show a profit. Warner Bros. expressed satisfaction with Troy earnings, saying its debut compared favourably with 2000's R-rated Gladiator, which earned $34.8 million in its opening weekend and rode strong word-of-mouth praise to a $187.6 million total, even before winning the Oscar for best picture. The only other new movie to open in wide release was Jamie Foxx's anti-romantic comedy Breakin' All the Rules, in which he plays the author of a manual on how to leave your lover. It ranked in fourth place with $5.3 million. Many bombastic movies like Troy open with a handful of smaller films aimed at niche viewers. Studio heads think like this: Black audiences who may be bored with armies of ancient white guys hacking each other in Troy had the option of Breakin' All the Rules. On Memorial Day weekend, sensitive women who don't want to see the world end in The Day After Tomorrow can see perky Kate Hudson in Raising Helen instead. The weekend's total box-office earnings were down 35 per cent from last year, coming in at $100.2 million. One movie made up most of the total $154.6 million from the same time in 2003: The Matrix Reloaded, which was No. 1 with $97.1 million. Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at North American theatres, according to Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc. Final figures will be released Monday.

1. Troy, $45.6 million. 2. Van Helsing, $20.1 million. 3. Mean Girls, $10.1 million. 4. Breakin' All the Rules, $5.3 million. 5. Man on Fire, $5.2 million. 6. 13 Going on 30, $4.2 million. 7. New York Minute, $3.7 million. 8. Laws of Attraction, $2 million. 9. Kill Bill - Vol. 2, $1.6 million. 10. Godsend, $1 million. -Anthony Breznican.

It's a boy, and a boy, for Davis

Actress gives birth to twins

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- It's a boy -- and a boy -- for Oscar-winning actress Geena Davis. The 47-year-old star of Thelma & Louise gave birth to twin boys at a Los Angeles hospital, publicist Paul Bloch said Monday. Kian William and Kaiis Steven, born May 6, are now at home in Los Angeles with their mother. "Mother and babies are doing beautifully," Bloch said. These are the second and third children for Davis and her surgeon husband, Reza Jarrahy, 33. The couple, who married in September 2001, already have a two-year-old daughter, Alizeh Keshvar. "Alizeh was delighted to have two new baby brothers," Bloch said. Davis won a supporting-actress Academy Award for playing the kooky dog trainer in 1988's The Accidental Tourist and received an Oscar nomination for best actress for 1991's Thelma & Louise.

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