The autumn season began with a whimper at the weekend asParamount's Dickie Roberts: Child Star opened top on $7m while Fox's The Order flopped in sixth place on $4.3m.

The weekend after Labor Day is noted for its lack of sparkle. Evenso, Paramount's first chart topper since How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days in February was the lowest gross for anumber one bow since The Eye Of The Beholder took $6m in 2000.

But there was more good news for Universal off the back of itshigh-grossing summer as American Wedding passed $100m in its sixth week on release.

In Dickie Roberts, comedian David Spade plays a now-adult performer who commissionsa surrogate family to give him the childhood he never had as a workingyoungster.

The film averaged $3,455 from 2,026 sites and was torn up by thecritics. Sam Weisman directed in his first outing since 2001's What's TheWorst That Could Happen' Thefilm co-stars Ashley Edner and Scott Terra.

The Order starsHeath Ledger as a young priest sent to Rome to investigate the death of thehead of his secret society.

Brian Helgeland reunitedwith his star of 2001's A Knight's Tale to direct the horror-mystery, which averaged $2,182 from 1,975 venues.Mark Addy and Shannyn Sossamon also star in the film which Fox chose not toscreen to critics.

Elsewhere Buena Vista's Pirates Of The Caribbean overtook The Matrix Reloaded to become the second biggest film of theyear behind Finding Nemo, staying in third and adding $5.5m for a $282m running total.

Stablemate Freaky Friday fell two places to fourth but edged closer to $100m, adding$5.1m in its fifth week for a $97.2m running total.

Open Range- another Buena Vista title domestically - neared the $50m mark in its fourth week, droppingtwo to seventh on $4m for $49.1m.

American Wedding fell one place to 11th, adding $2.2m for $100.7m.

Next week's wide releases include horror from Lions Gate in theform of Cabin Fever,starring Jordan Ladd and Rider Strong; the Warner Bros comedy-drama MatchstickMen, starring NicolasCage, Sam Rockwell and Alison Lohman; and Columbia's Once Upon A Time InMexico, which stars AntonioBanderas, Salma Hayek and Johnny Depp.

Estimated Top Ten US Sept 5-7, 2003

Film (Distributor)/International distribution/Estimated weekendgross/Estimated total to date

1 (-) Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star (Paramount) UIP $7m -

2 (1) Jeepers Creepers 2 (MGM) Myriad Pictures $6.7m $27.4m

3 (3) Pirates Of The Caribbean (Buena Vista) BVI $5.5m $282m

4 (2) Freaky Friday (Buena Vista) BVI $5.1m $97.2m

5 (4) S.W.A.T. (Columbia) CTFDI $4.6m $108.8m

6 (-) The Order (Fox) Fox International/Qwerty Films $4.3m -

7 (5) Open Range (Buena Vista) Cobalt Media $4m $49.1m

8 (6) Seabiscuit (Universal) Spyglass/BVI $3.7m $109.6m

9 (7) Freddy Vs Jason (New Line) NLI $3.2m $78.3m

10 (9) UptownGirls (MGM) FoxInternational $2.5m $33.6m