UK distributor Entertainment saw yet another success this week with Wesley Snipes action sequel Blade II taking over the top spot in its opening weekend.
The film grossed an impressive $3.7m (£2.5m) from 345 sites for a mighty average of $10,595. Blade II follows a host of recent successes for Entertainment, including the still running The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring ($88.8m to date), Gosford Park ($15.4m) and Ali ($6.4m). The original Blade made $8.9m (£6.2m) for Entertainment after its release in November 1998.
20th Century Fox's Ice Age continued to show strength in its second week, dropping off just 20% from its previous three-day weekend to hold second place. The computer-animated hit grossed $2.1 million (£1.5m) from 423 sites over the three-day weekend bringing its ten-day total to $9.0m.
In comparison with another holdover, last week's box office champion Ali G IndaHouse fell 49% in its second week, landing in third, marginally behind Ice Age, with $2.189m.
Momentum Pictures opened Britney Spears vehicle Crossroads in fourth, taking an opening tally of $1.6m (£1.1m) at 373 sites for a reasonable average of $4,344.
Other openers making the chart were UIP's 20th anniversary edition of Steven Spielberg's E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, which took just $669,134 over the weekend. Playing on 313 sites, the film recorded an average of $2,138. The 1982 classic took up seventh position, opening in a crowded Easter children's marketplace that includes Ice Age, Monsters, Inc., Jimmy Neutron - Boy Genius and Peter Pan sequel Return To Neverland.
In the Republic of Ireland, BVI's Ireland's The Count Of Monte Cristo made the top 15 at 15 with $68,597 (£47,675) at 59 sites. The film opens across the UK on April 19.
The top five was rounded out by Warner Bros' Ocean's Eleven (total gross so far $33.4m). Oscar winner A Beautiful Mind also played well in the week after its win dropping just 5% from the previous weekend despite playing on 59 less sites. The UIP title has grossed $8.5m to date.
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