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Will Smith's drunken hero saga intoxicates moviegoers
2008-07-06
LOS ANGELES (AFP) - Actor Will Smith's escapades as a cocked and loaded superhero in the action-humor flick "Hancock" went straight to the head of the North American box office this weekend, preliminary figures showed Sunday. The former "Fresh Prince of Bel Air" star portrays a down-on-his-luck hero who drowns his sorrows in booze until he saves the life of a public relations executive who vows to remake his image. "Hancock" took in 66 million dollars over the weekend, ousting last week's winner "WALL-E," which came in a distant second with 33 million dollars according to box office tracker Exhibitor Relations' early figures. "WALL-E," the latest animated sci-fi comedy offering by Pixar, tells the tale of a trash compacting robot who falls in love in a post-apocalyptic world void of people. In third place, pulling in 20.6 million dollars, was the action-thriller "Wanted," starring Angelina Jolie as a pouty sharpshooter who lures James McAvoy into a fraternity of assassins. "Get Smart," a remake of a 1960s television series about the misadventures of bumbling US secret agent Maxwell Smart, came in fourth with 11 million dollars. In fifth place was "Kung Fu Panda," the animated adventures of a kindly panda forced to become a martial-arts master to save his jungle from leopard villains. The film took in 7.5 million dollars at the weekend. "The Incredible Hulk", starring Edward Norton as the Marvel Comics superhero who turns fierce when angry, was sixth with 4.9 million dollars. Seventh place went to "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull," with 3.9 million dollars. "Kitt Kittredge: An American Girl," the story of a 10-year-old who struggles to grow up during the Great Depression, made a surpise return to the top 10 in its 23rd week in theatres, raking in 3.6 million dollars for the eighth slot. The glitter and glam of New York City's favorite cougar quartet, "Sex and the City," stayed strong in ninth place with 2.3 million in its ninth week. Rounding out the top 10 was the Adam Sandler comedy "You Don't Mess with the Zohan," which earned two million dollars in ticket sales.
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