US box office looks bleak

It is the bleakest box office in the United States so far this year.

Newcomer Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star could not even grab $10 million. This comedy, about a man trying to regain his past glory as a child artiste, grossed just about $7 million.

Sunday's estimates show that it grossed a few thousand dollars more than last week's top film, Jeepers Creepers 2. This horror movie stumbled by 56 per cent from the four-day weekend.

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As schools and colleges began to open across the country, the box office took a mighty fall, especially in the absence of strong new movies.

At third place, Pirates Of The Caribbean is still showing strength as it heads towards $300 million. It has grossed $282 million so far. Another Disney hit, the comedy Freaky Friday, with its $97 million gross and at least $20 million more to come, has become one of the most profitable films of the year.

Rounding out the top five, the police drama S.W.A.T. took its total to an impressive $108.8 million.

The supernatural thriller, The Order, starring Heath Ledger, took just about $4.3 million. It is one of the instant flops of the season. Originally called Sin Eaters, the film was set for a January release, but when the test audiences revolted against it, its producers decided to reshoot a few scenes, add more special effects, and release it under a new name.

None of that helped. The movie could be out of the theatres in just about two weeks.

At number seven, Kevin Costner's well-received Western, Open Range, reached almost $50 million. Costner, who was hitherto one of the most expensive stars in Hollywood, made the film for just about $25 million.

A tribute to tenacity and optimism, Seabiscuit is still busy harvesting the dollars. It has reached $109 million and could end its run with about $120 million. An Oscar campaign at the end of the year may see it being re-released in a handful of cities.

Freddy vs Jason, the slasher movie, is still drawing quite a bit of blood. With a $3.2 million gross, its total has reached $78 million.

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The Brittany Murphy/Dakota Fanning comedy Uptown Girls is still attracting many teenagers. With $33.5 million, it should look to end its run with $40 million. It dropped out of the 10, but American Wedding is still celebrating. At 11th place, the comedy has reached $101 million.

All three films in the American Pie series have reached $100 million. Its producers have said there will not be a fourth film in the series. But given the good performance of this film in North America and its excellent run abroad, there would be some pressure to launch a fourth film.

The box office this week:

Rank	Film	Weekend gross	Total gross	Number of weeks
1	Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star	$7 million	$7m	New
2	Jeepers Creepers 2	$6.6 million (< 56% from previous weekend)	$27.4m	2
3	Pirates of the Caribbean	$5.4 million (< 30% from previous weekend)	$282m	9
4	Freaky Friday	$5.1 million (< 44% from previous weekend)	$97m	5
5	S.W.A.T.	$4.6 million (< 44% from previous weekend)	$109m	5
6	The Order	$4.3 million (< 32% from previous weekend)	$4.3m	New
7	Open Range	$4 million (< 50% from previous weekend)	$49m	4
8	Seabiscuit	$3.6 million (<43% from previous weekend)	$109m	7
9	Freddy vs Jason	$3.1 million (< 56% from previous weekend)	$78m	4
10	Uptown Girls	$2.4 million  (<40% from previous weekend)	$33.5m	4