For the second consecutive week, THE 40-YEAR-OLD VIRGIN ruled the box office for the weekend ended Aug. 28, 2005, the first time an R-rated film has done so since last years THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST. The Universal comedy raked in $16.2M for a total of $48.5M. Dimensions THE BROTHERS GRIMM (with vfx by Peerless Camera Co. Ltd., Lip Sync Post and Artem Ltd.) bowed in second with $15M. DreamWorks RED EYE (with vfx by Digital Dream) slipped to third place with $10.2M for a two-week cume of $32.5M. Paramounts FOUR BROTHERS (with vfx by Mr. X and Creature Effects) followed in the fourth spot with $7.8M and $55.3M. Screen Gems THE CAVE (with vfx by Patrick Tatopoulos Design Inc., Luma Pictures and Fantasy II Film Effects) debuted in fifth place with $6.1M. New Lines WEDDING CRASHERS, the other R-rated comedy smash of the year, settled for sixth with $6M and a cume of $187.5M. Warner Independent Pictures MARCH OF THE PENGUINS, the high-flying doc reached another milestone: collecting $4.7M for a seventh place finish and a total of $55.8M. Universals THE SKELETON KEY (with vfx from Rhythm + Hues) settled into the eighth spot with $4.5M and a cume of $38M. Slipping to ninth in its second week was Buena Vistas VALIANT, the 3D-animated U.K. import from newcomer Vanguard Animation, which mustered only $3.5M for a total of $11.7M. And rounding out the top 10 was Warner Bros. THE DUKES OF HAZZARD, which collected $3.1M for a cume of $74.4M.
Hayao Miyazakis HOWLS MOVING CASTLE collected another $13, 436 for a cume of $4.6M for Buena Vista (with Pixars Pete Docter and Disneys Rick Dempsey overseeing the American version). It now ranks seventh on the all-time list of anime titles. Box office information obtained from boxofficemojo.com.
Bill Desowitz, former editor of VFXWorld, is currently the Crafts Editor of IndieWire.
