Audiences give good reception to 'Wedding Planner'

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Jennifer Lopez's prenuptial comedy "The Wedding Planner" debuted as the top weekend movie, taking in $13.5 million.

The movie bumped "Save the Last Dance" to second place after two weekends at No. 1.

"Shadow of the Vampire," starring John Malkovich and Willem Dafoe, expanded from a handful of theaters to wider release, grossing $1.9 million and finishing at No. 18.

In limited release, Liv Ullmann's "Faithless," which she directed from a script by Ingmar Bergman, debuted with a healthy $29,462 in just two theaters.

Despite the allure of Sunday's Super Bowl, studios reported a strong showing over the weekend, grossing an estimated $76 million, an increase of 73 percent over last year's Super Bowl weekend take, an industry analyst said.

"Last year was a lot weaker than this year. The lineup of women's films in the marketplace serving as counter-programming to the Super Bowl was really effective," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc.

Moviegoers also may have crowded theaters earlier, leaving Sunday free for football, said Linda Ditrinco, senior vice president of USA Films national sales.

"We kind of analyzed it internally, we noticed Friday and Saturday make up for the Sunday drops. People are still going to the movies," Ditrinco said.

"The Wedding Planner," starring Lopez -- always a planner, never a bride -- who falls for a groom-to-be, took in $13.5 million its debut weekend.

A Columbia Pictures spokesman said "The Wedding Planner" drew large numbers of women.

"The Super Bowl is obviously a dynamic in the marketplace, but this film has a very strong appeal to women, both over and under 25. It gives them an alternative," said Blaise Noto, Columbia's executive vice president of publicity.

Bank-robbing cheerleaders film "Sugar & Spice" debuted in the fifth spot. It opened with an estimated $5.9 million or $2,740 per screen.

"Cast Away," starring Tom Hanks as a modern Robinson Crusoe, slipped to third from second place, but stayed strong as it raked in $8.1 million for the weekend. So far, "Cast Away" has made $193.2 million.

"Right now it's on a path to $215 million. Then with Academy Awards, though you can't tell what it will do, it could pop," predicted Richard Myerson, executive vice president and general sales manager for Twentieth Century Fox.

USA Films' drug-war drama "Traffic" pulled in $6.5 million, slipping one spot to No. 4. The film has gained $56.2 million since wide release earlier this month.

Martial arts film, "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," continued to climb, moving to No. 6.