LOS ANGELES—The new urban dance drama Stomp the Yard ended the three-week reign of Night at the Museum at the North American box office Sunday, while three other rookies failed to make much of an impact.
Stomp earned $22 million since its Friday opening, distributor Columbia Pictures said. Actor-dancer Columbus Short plays a college student who vies for the affections of a girl (Meagan Good) by entering a "stepping" competition. The high-energy dance style has been popular for decades among black fraternities and sororities.
The film cost about $14 million to make, said Columbia, a unit of Sony Corp. It said 65 percent of the audience was black but the film played strongly among all demographics.
Also new were Alpha Dog, a suburban gangster movie starring Justin Timberlake, at No. 7 with a three-day sum of $6.1 million; the killer-croc horror "Primeval" at No. 8 with $6.0 million; and the French-made live action/animated fantasy Arthur and the Invisibles at No. 9 with $4.3 million.
The Ben Stiller comedy Night at the Museum slipped to No. 2 with $17.1 million. After four weeks, the 20th Century Fox release has earned $185.8 million.
The Pursuit of Happyness, a melodrama some pundits expect to secure an Academy Award nomination for star Will Smith when contenders are unveiled Jan. 23, slipped to No. 3 with $9.1 million. The five-week haul for the Columbia release stands at $136.5 million.
'Alpha Dog'
Alpha Dog, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival a year ago, was originally set for a spring 2006 release by New Line Cinema. But producer Sidney Kimmel took his project to General Electric Co.'s Universal Pictures following a dispute with New Line over its cautious distribution strategy.
Loosely based on the true story of Jesse James Hollywood, who is awaiting trial in California, it stars Emile Hirsch as a baby-faced thug who masterminds the kidnapping and killing of a rival's brother. Timberlake plays one of his henchmen, and helped account for the fact that 53 percent of the audience was female. Bruce Willis and Sharon Stone also star. It was directed by Nick Cassavetes ( The Notebook ).
A Universal spokeswoman said the opening was within its modest expectations, and that the studio had minimal financial exposure.
Primeval, a thriller about journalists in Africa on the trail of a killer croc — "the world's most prolific killer," according to the advertising — was released without screening in advance for critics, an increasingly common tactic employed by studios to avoid critical evisceration. It stars Dominic Purcell and Orlando Bloom, and was released by Walt Disney Co.
Arthur and the Invisibles, directed by French filmmaker Luc Besson, stars Freddie Highmore and Mia Farrow, while Robert De Niro, David Bowie and Madonna lead the voice cast. It was released on behalf of the Weinstein Co. by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Both are closely held.
Weinstein Co. principal Harvey Weinstein said in a statement that American family audiences are not used to films that combine animation and live action. While the film was off to a slow start, he was heartened by strong exit polls.
Elsewhere, the much-hyped Oscar contender Dreamgirls rose one place to No. 4 with $8.1 million, swapping places with the Hilary Swank drama Freedom Writers, which earned $7.1 million. Their respective totals stand at $65 million and $18.4 million. Both were released by Paramount Pictures, a unit of Viacom Inc.
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