Warner Bros' The Perfect Storm succeeded in pulling in a significant box office gross when it opened in Spain last weekend with $1.6m (PTS294.6m) from its super-wide release of 315 prints. The opening makes it the fifth biggest weekend opening in Spain this year, squeezing past Columbia TriStar's release of Erin Brockovich but trailing The Sixth Sense, Mission Impossible 2, Gladiator and Toy Story 2 (see chart). Warner Sogefilms' release of British claymation Chicken Run didn't fare as well last weekend, when it opened with $641,710 (PTS117.5m) on 206 copies.

But among the US heavyweights, the Spanish film Ano Mariano, starring Karra Elejalde and Fernando Guillen Cuervo, continued strongly in its second weekend, grossing $545,576 (PTS99.9m). Expectations are now rising that it could out-perform leading domestic box office hit of the year, teen horror flic The Art Of Dying (El Arte De Morir). Both films are Aurum releases.

Spain's Top 5 Opening Films 2000:

Film (Dist) Prints 3-day opening

1. The Sixth Sense (BVI) 224 prints $3m (PTS560m)
2. Mission: Impossible 2 (UIP) 298 prints $2.9m (PTS526.6m)
3. Gladiator (UIP) 261 prints $2.3m (PTS419.5m)
4. Toy Story 2 (BVI) 252 prints $1.9m (PTS344.5m)
5. The Perfect Storm (Warner Bros) 315 prints $1.6m (PTS294.6m)