Spartans of '300' Retain Control of Box Office

Mar 19, 12:50 PM

Current Headlines: By David Germain THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Spartans continued to fend off the box-office competition as the battle epic "300" took the No. 1 spot for the second straight weekend with $31.2 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

The Warner Bros. movie, the story of vastly outnumbered Spartans defending against Persian invaders, shot past the $100 million mark after just a week in theaters, bringing its total to $127.5 million.

Disney's road comedy "Wild Hogs" also crossed the $100 million mark, remaining the No. 2 movie with $18.8 million to lift its total to $104 million.

Sony's thriller "Premonition," starring Sandra Bullock as a woman whose husband is killed one day but turns up alive and well the next, debuted in third with $18 million.

The weekend's two other new wide releases had modest openings. Universal's fright flick "Dead Silence" -- the tale of a maniacal ventriloquist dummy, from director James Wan and screenwriter Leigh Whannell, the team behind the original "Saw" horror hit -- debuted at No. 4 with $7.8 million.

Fox Searchlight's "I Think I Love My Wife," a romance starring Chris Rock as a bored hubby drawn to a temptress (Kerry Washington), premiered in fifth place with $5.7 million. Rock also co-wrote and directed the movie.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters are according to Media By Numbers LLC. Final figures will be released today.

Top 10 Films at Box Office

1. "300," $31.2 million

2. "Wild Hogs," $18.8 million

3. "Premonition," $18 million

4. "Dead Silence," $7.8 million

5. "I Think I Love My Wife," $5.7 million

6. "Bridge to Terabithia," $5.1 million

7. "Ghost Rider," $4 million

8. "Zodiac," $3.1 million

9. "Norbit," $2.7 million

10. "Music and Lyrics," $2.2 million

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