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Jodie Foster flies to the top |
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The second high profile airborne thriller in three months, Flightplan, like its predecessor Red Eye, opened at the top, taking in $24.6 million, landing well ahead of Tim Burton's animated Corpse Bride that grossed $20.1 million to take second place.
Considering the budget, however, the biggest hit of the weekend was the roller-skating teen drama Roll Bounce. Made for $15 million, the film opened at No 4 with $8 million in just about 1,600 theaters - The top two films each played in more than 3,200 theaters.
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1. Flightplan Cast: Jodie Foster, Peter Sarsgaard, Erika Christensen and Sean Bean. Director: Robert Schwentke.  The formidable Jodie Foster; some suspenseful moments. Story has too many bumps; the suspense nosedives soon.Number of weeks: New. BO Verdict: Decent opening.
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2. Corpse Bride Cast:(Voices) Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter. Director: Tim Burton. Imaginative setting; story with heart; wonderful voices.Appeal is limited to die-hard Burton fans.Number of weeks: New. BO Verdict: Promising opening.
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3. Just Like Heaven Cast: Reese Witherspoon, Mark Ruffalo. Director: Mark S Waters. Likeable lead stars. Comedy just doesn't take off.Number of weeks: 2. BO Verdict: Average.
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4. Roll Bounce Cast: Bow Wow, Chris McBride, Mike Epps. Director: Malcolm D Lee. Endearing; funny; well-spirited. No stars; low production values.Number of weeks: New. BO Verdict: Success.
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5. The Exorcism Of Emily Rose Cast: Laura Linney, Tom Wilkinson, Jennifer Carpenter, Scott Campbell and Shohreh Aghdashloo. Director: Scott Derrickson. Great appeal to devout Christians. Laura Linney's powerful performance. Too noisy, inept script.Number of weeks: 3. BO Verdict: Hit.
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6. Lord of War Cast: Nicolas Cage, Jared Lato, Ethan Hawk. Director: Andrew Niccol. Nicolas Cage in a gritty, bleak but fairly gripping drama. Too heavy handed in the second half.Number of weeks: 2. BO Verdict: Flop.
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7. The 40-Year-Old Virgin Cast: Steve Carell and Catherine Keener. Director: Judd Apatow. An appealing hero, Carell; many pleasant diversions.Script loses much of its edge as it goes on.Number of weeks: 6. BO Verdict: Hit.
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8. The Constant Gardener Cast: Ralph Fiennes, Rachel Weisz. Director: Fernando Meirelles. Riveting drama, superb performances.At times, too much melodrama.Number of weeks: 4. BO Verdict: Medium-range success.
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9. Transporter 2 Cast: Jason Statham, Alessandro Gassman, Amber Valletta, Matthew Modine. Director: Louis Leterrier. Lively tempo, plenty of action, better than the original. But after a stage, things look pedestrian.Number of weeks: 4. BO Verdict: Medium-range success.
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10. Cry Wolf Cast: Julian Morris, Lindy Booth, Jared Padalecki, Jon Bon Jovi. Director: Jeff Wadlow. Search me.Where are the thrills? Where are the scares?Number of weeks: 2. BO Verdict: Flop.
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Text: Arthur J Pais
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