There’s No Scaring ‘Cats & Dogs’

On a slower-than-expected weekend coming off the midweek Fourth of July holiday, “Cats & Dogs” narrowly beat out the R-rated comedy “Scary Movie 2” to take the top spot in this week’s box-office race. “Cats & Dogs” grossed $21.7 million over the weekend for a total of $35.8 million since opening July 4, while “Scary Movie 2” grossed $20.5 million for a total of $34 million since opening last Wednesday.

“A.I.: Artificial Intelligence” saw its box office drop 52% from its debut, grossing $14 million, while “Kiss of the Dragon” opened with $13.3 million for fourth place.

“The Fast and the Furious” has now reached $101.4 million in box office after only three weeks in release, while “Shrek” has amassed $240.6 million after eight weeks and will soon bypass “Toy Story 2” ($245.8 million), when it will become the second highest-grossing animated film behind “The Lion King” ($312.8 million).

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Three-day gross/ Screens/ Weeks in Movie (Studio) Total (millions) Average Release 1. “Cats & Dogs”* $21.7 3,040 1 (Warner Bros.) $35.8 $7,141 2. “Scary Movie 2”* $20.5 3,220 1 (Dimension) $34.0 $6,368 3. “A.I.” $14.0 3,242 2 (Warner Bros.) $59.6 $4,330 4. “Kiss of the Dragon” $13.3 2,025 1 (Fox) $13.3 $6,570 5. “The Fast and the Furious” $12.3 2,798 3 (Universal) $101.4 $4,390 6. “Dr. Dolittle 2” $10.5 3,028 3 (Fox) $71.9 $3,457 7. “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider” $6.7 3,010 4 (Paramount) $115.5 $2,235 8. “Shrek” $6.0 2,107 8 (DreamWorks) $240.6 $2,851 9. “Atlantis: The Lost Empire” $5.1 2,272 5 (Disney) $69.4 $2,231 10.”Baby Boy” $4.8 1,533 2 (Sony/Columbia) $20.8 $3,139

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* Opened Wednesday

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SOURCE: Exhibitor Relations Co.