Weekend box office

It hasn’t generated blockbuster numbers, but Paramount Pictures’ “The Italian Job” is showing it may have staying power. The clever caper film, which stars Mark Wahlberg and Charlize Theron, grossed $9.6 million over the weekend -- a drop of just 27% from the previous weekend and the smallest decline of any of the returning films in the top 10. Compare that with “2 Fast 2 Furious,” whose box office plunged 63% from its opening weekend. After three weeks in release, “The Italian Job” has grossed $55.4 million.

Amid a barrage of blockbusters, the film’s endurance is “totally attributable to the great word of mouth this film is generating,” said Paul Dergarabedian, president of the box-office tracking firm Exhibitor Relations Co. “A big opening weekend speaks to the power of marketing, but a film like ‘The Italian Job’ shows that people are liking the film and telling their friends about it.”

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*--* MOVIE 3-DAY GROSS TOTAL (MILLIONS) VENUES AVERA WEEKS (STUDIO GE ) PER VENUE

1 Finding $28.4 $191.5 3,425 $8,287 3 Nemo (Buena Vista)

2 2 Fast $18.7 $83.6 3,418 $5,465 2 2 Furious (Universal)

3 Bruce $14.2 $193.8 3,477 $4,095 4 Almight y (Universal)

4 Rugrats $11.6 $11.6 3,041 $3,800 1 Go Wild (Paramount)

5 Hollywo $11.1 $11.1 2,840 $3,913 1 od Homicid e (Sony/Revolution)

6 Dumb $10.8 $10.8 2,609 $4,157 1 and Dumbere r (New Line)

7 The $9.6 $55.4 2,697 $3,563 3 Italian Job (Paramount)

8 The $5.7 $257.5 2,350 $2,445 5 Matrix Reloade d (Warner Bros.)

9 Daddy $2.2 $92.3 1,982 $1,112 6 Day Care (Sony)

10 X2: $1.7 $207.3 1,316 $1,323 7 X-Men United (Fox)

Source: Exhibitor Relations Co

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