Bernardo Bertolucci's sizzling 1968-set drama, The Dreamers, opened at number two at the Italian box office, earning an impressive $1,560,404 from 307 screens for a strong screen average of $5,041.

Distributed by local Fininvest-owned powerhouse Medusa, The Dreamers stars Eva Green and Louis Garrel as twin brother and sister who strike up a friendship with an innocent American student, played by Michael Pitt, against the backdrop of the 1968 Paris riots.

Despite its strong opening, Medusa's Italian drama, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival last month, was nevertheless beaten to the top slot by 20th Century Fox's The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (LXG). Starring Sean Connery, the film grossed $2,420,570 from 316 screens, earning a massive screen average of $7,660.

Meanwhile, the weekend's second highest grossing Italian film was Alessandro Piva's My Brother-in-Law, which grossed $145,199 from 55 screens, for a screen average of $3, 117. Distributed by 01, the picture, which stars Sergio Rubini and Luigi LoCascio, has earned $556,413 since its release two weeks ago.