WEEKEND BOXOFFICE REPORT: Stallone 'Driven' All the Way to No. 1 as Other Newcomers Nosedive

30 Apr, 2001 By: Ed Ochs

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The Italian Stallion still has something left in his tank after all. Sylvester Stallone parked his race car movie Driven in the No. 1 spot this weekend, crossing the finish line with an estimated $13.1 million in winnings. Considering that Bridget Jones's Diary, Spy Kids and Along Came a Spider came in at No. 2, 3 and 4 -- all grossing well under $10 million, a case could be made that Warner Bros.' Driven, aided by sputtering competition, backed into the top spot. But let's give Sly his week in the winner's circle, box office territory he hasn't seen since Copland in 1997.

The three poor debuts dragging down the overall marketplace and opening up the fast lane for Driven were New Line's Town & Country, USA Films' One Night at McCool's and Sony Screen Gem's The Forsaken. Each bowed with all the fanfare of a tree falling in the forest. Warren Beatty's Town & Country bombed with an estimated $3.1 million, and Michael Douglas' One Night at McCool's flopped with an estimated $2.6 million. It's harder to say The Forsaken crashed, since it did rise from the dead to gross an estimated $3 million -- but it does prove there are at least as many people interested in vampires as there are in Warren Beatty and Liv Tyler.

Miramax's hit twins, Bridget Jones's Diary and Spy Kids, continued to pad their sparkling totals to date -- $36.2 million and $93.6 million, respectively. Next weekend should see Spy Kids zoom past the $100 million mark. And, speaking of legs, Paramount's amazing Along Came a Spider caught another $5.7 million to add to its $54.7 million web.

Tumbling from the top 10: Fox's disastrous Tom Green comedy Freddy Got Fingered ($2.5 million weekend/$11.3 million in 10 days); Fox Searchlight's Kingdom Come ($18.8 million total to date); Universal's Josie and the Pussycats ($13 million to date); and Paramount's long-playing war drama Enemy at the Gates ($48.2 million to date).

According to this weekend's results, not only are auto racing movies hugely popular right now, but so are alligator movies. How else can you explain the No. 5 finish of Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles? One suspects that some Dundee moviegoers hope to see giant alligators eat Hollywood, rather than just do lunch. Sorry, folks. Maybe next time.

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