DreamWorks' Shark Tale raised its total to an estimated $87.7m at Columbus Day Weekendas it beat off Imagine/Universal's American football drama Friday NightLights to stay top inits second weekend.

The animated added $31.7m, falling a restrained 33%, ensuring thatDreamWorks will have two $100m animated hits in one year, a first for thecompany's animation division which scored its biggest ever hit this summer with Shrek 2.

Friday Night Lights opened to strong reviews in second place on $20.6m,averaging $7,711 on 2,667 screens.Billy Bob Thornton stars as the inspirational coach of a Texas high schoolfootball team. Derek Luke and Lucas Black also star in Peter Berg's $30mpicture.

Twentieth Century Fox's comedy Taxi, directed by Tim Story and based on theFrench box office hit of the same name, opened in fourth on $12.1m, taking$12.7m since its Wednesday debut (6).

The critics didn't like the picture, which averaged $4,015 on3,001 screens. It stars Saturday Night Live's Jimmy Fallon as an undercover cop who hooks up with QueenLatifah's cab driver in the pursuit of bank robbers.

Opening in sixth on $4.6m was New Line's teen drama Raise YourVoice, starring HilaryDuff as a smalltown girl who spends the summer at a Los Angeles performing artsschool.

Sean McNamara's picture averaged $1,824 on 2,521 screens and drewmostly poor reviews. Oliver James, John Corbett, David Keith and Rita Wilsonalso star.

Elsewhere Buena Vista's Ladder 49 fell one place to third on $13.3m for atotal of $41.2m after ten days, Sony/Revolution's The Forgotten fell two to fifth on $7.5m for $48.6m inits third, and Paramount's Sky Captain & The World Of Tomorrow fell three to seventh on $2.3m for $33.9mafter four.

Sony's Resident Evil: Apocalypse is a breath away from $50m after adding$1.3m for $49m in its fifth weekend, while Focus Features holds eighth andninth spots with Shaun Of The Dead on $9.4m and the Spanish languageThe Motorcycle Diaries showing extraordinary promise byclimbing to ninth on $1.4m for $3.2m. Both pictures were in their thirdweekends.

Overall the top 12 titles grossed $98.5m, roughly the same as thecorresponding period last year.

Next weekend's wide releases include Paramount's marionettesend-up Team America: World Police by South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone; and Miramax's romance remakeShall We Dance, starringRichard Gere and Jennifer Lopez.

Estimated Top Ten US Oct 8-10 2004

Film (Distributor)/International distribution/Estimated weekendgross/Estimated total to date

1 (1) Shark Tale (DreamWorks) UIP $31.7m $87.7m

2 (-) Friday Night Lights (Imagine/Universal) UIP $20.6m -

3 (2) Ladder 49 (Buena Vista) BVI/Summit $13.3m $41.2m

4 (-) Taxi(Fox) Fox Int'l $12.1m $12.7m

5 (3) The Forgotten (Columbia/Revolution) CTFDI $7.5m $48.6m

6(-) Raise Your Voice (New Line)Kathy Morgan Int'l $4.6m

7 (4) Sky Captain & The World Of Tomorrow (Paramount) FilmAuro/Various $2.3m$33.9m

8 (6) Shaun Of The Dead (Focus) UIP $1.6m $9.3m

9 (15) The Motorcycle Diaries (Focus) Pathe International $1.4m $3.2m

10 (8) ResidentEvil: Apocalypse (ScreenGems) CTFDI $1.3m $49m