Despite three new films in wide release, this weekend posted a relatively low total box office. And in a repeat of the LILO & STITCH vs. MINORITY REPORT box office battle, a family film was neck and neck with an adult drama, only to lose the top spot. The continuing adventures of the animated mouse of STUART LITTLE 2 lost its hold on the number one box office spot to THE ROAD TO PERDITION. STUART LITTLE 2, with visual effects by Sony Imageworks, debuted in second place with $15.1M, following closely behind ROAD's $15.4M. Although DreamWorks rolled out the film in an additional 362 theaters, this weekend's take represented a 30% decline for the gangster drama which settled with a two-week cume of $47.3M. After two weeks at number one, MEN IN BLACK II, with primary visual effects by ILM, dropped to third, earning $14.5M for a startling $158.1M after 19 days. Submarine thriller K-19: THE WIDOWMAKER, with primary visual effects by ILM, debuted in fourth with $12.8M and the futuristic actioner REIGN OF FIRE, with visual effects by The Secret Lab, which brought in $7.3M for a two-week total of $29.2M. The week's other new release was the campy thriller EIGHT LEGGED FREAKS, with visual effects by Centropolis FX, which has earned $9.1M since its Wednesday debut. Disney's LILO & STITCH is proving to have legs, earning $4.9M in its fifth weekend for a total of $128.4M and ninth place. As for the other recently released animated features Cartoon Network's THE POWERPUFF GIRLS MOVIE has been pulled from the majority of theaters and earned just $338,350 for $10.8M total after 19 days. Nickelodeon's HEY ARNOLD! THE MOVIE wasn't far behind, earning $170,800 this weekend for $13.5M to date. Box office information obtained from yahoo.com and boxofficemojo.com.
