Universal's AmericanWedding took an irreverent bite out of the box office pie at the weekend asit opened number one on $34.3m, according to studio estimates to be confirmedon Monday.

As the only other top 10opener of the session Columbia/Revolution's crime caper Gigli was verymuch the bridesmaid with a dire joint seventh bow on $3.8m.

The $55m third instalment ofthe American Pie franchise averaged a decent $10,800 from 3,172theatres and opened to mixed reviews.

JasonBiggs, Eugene Levy and Alyson Hannigan reprise their roles as the comedy'sfocus shifts to high-spirited nuptials and the accompanying shenanigans.

Withoutseveral cast members from the earlier instalments the film failed tomatch the $45.1m opening of American Pie 2 in 2001.

JesseDylan, the son of Bob whose credits include the stoner comedy How High,directed.

MeanwhileGigli drew abominable reviews and will struggle to claw back its $54mproduction cost.

Real-lifelovers Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez star opposite each other for the firsttime, with Affleck playing a dopey hitman who teams up with Lopez'sfree-spirited woman during a kidnapping.

MartinBrest, who made Beverly Hills Cop and Scent Of A Woman, directedthe film, which averaged$1,715 from 2,215 sites.

Inits second week Dimension's Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over slipped to secondplace on $20.1m for a $69m running total.

BuenaVista's summer hit Pirates Of The Caribbean slipped one place to third,grossing $19.1m for a staggering $209.8m in its fourth week.

Columbia'saction sequel Bad Boys II passed $100m in its third week, adding $12.7mfor $111.3m and dropping two to fifth.

Paramount'sLara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle Of Life fell two to sixth after lastweek's poor opening, adding $11.3m for $42.6m.

Nextweek's releases include Buena Vista's family remake Freaky Friday,starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan; and Columbia's police thriller S.W.A.T.,starring Samuel L Jackson and Colin Farrell and Michelle Rodriguez.

Estimated Top Ten US Aug 1-3, 2003
Film(Distributor)/International distribution/Estimated weekend gross/Estimatedtotal to date
1 (-) American Wedding (Universal) UIP $34.3m -
2 (1) Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over (Dimension) BVI $20.1m $69m
3 (2) Pirates Of The Caribbean(Buena Vista) BVI $19.1m $209.8m
4 (5) Seabiscuit(Universal) Spyglass $17.5m $49.1m
5 (3)Bad Boys II (Columbia) CTFDI $12.7m $111.3m
6 (4) LaraCroft Tomb Raider: The Cradle Of Life (Paramount) UIP $11.3m $42.6m
7 (8) Finding Nemo (Disney/Pixar)BVI $3.8m $319.9m
8 (-) Gigli (Columbia/Revolution) CTFDI $3.8m -
9 (6) The League Of ExtraordinaryGentlemen (20th Century Fox) Fox International $3.2m $58.8m
10 (7) Terminator 3: Rise Of The Machines (WarnerBros) CTFDI $2.9m $142.8m