In the limited release arena Fox Searchlight's NC-17 drama The Dreamers grossed $511,207 for a $714,458 total in its second week. It climbed nine places to 27th and expanded by 61 sites into 66.

Sony Pictures Classics opened Francois Dupeyron's acclaimed drama Monsieur Ibrahim in 52nd place on $65,696, which translated into a very respectable $9,385 average from seven venues in Los Angeles and New York City.

Omar Sharif stars as an Arab shopkeeper in Paris who strikes up a friendship with a young Jewish boy. Monsieur Ibrahim is at the vanguard of a packed SPC slate this year, which includes Good Bye, Lenin!, Broken Wings, Bon Voyage and Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter And' Spring in the next two months alone, and is expected to play out well in the coming weeks.

Overall combined box office for the Presidents' Day weekend was $143m box office, 13% behind the same period last year. Year-to-date figures from Nielsen EDI show a 9% slip against 2003 on $868m.