The epic battle tale Kingdom of Heaven fought its way to the top of the box office, taking in $20 million in its debut weekend, but the film did little to boost slumping revenues at the start of the summer movie season.
The film by Gladiator director Ridley Scott features heartthrob Orlando Bloom as a warrior in Jerusalem between the Second and Third Crusades.
The film also features Liam Neeson as Balian's father, the knight Godfrey of Ibelin, as well as Jeremy Irons and Brendan Gleeson.
The R-rated movie was followed in the rankings by another new R-rated movie, House of Wax, which brought in $12.2 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.
"House of Wax, featuring Elisha Cuthbert and Paris Hilton in a remake of the Vincent Price horror tale, is the latest from producer Joel Silver's Dark Castle Entertainment.
The other notable new movie this weekend was Crash, which features Don Cheadle, Sandra Bullock, Matt Dillon and rapper Chris "Ludacris" Bridges in intertwining stories examining racial stereotypes in Los Angeles. The R-rated film played in 1,864 theaters and finished fourth with $9.1 million.
"The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy dropped to third place with nearly $9.13 million after debuting last weekend at the top spot.
Hollywood's box office slump continued with revenues down for the 11th straight weekend compared with the same weekend last year.
The top 12 movies grossed $76.9 million, down 24 per cent from last year at this time when Van Helsing and Mean Girls were the top movies.
The film by Gladiator director Ridley Scott features heartthrob Orlando Bloom as a warrior in Jerusalem between the Second and Third Crusades.
The film also features Liam Neeson as Balian's father, the knight Godfrey of Ibelin, as well as Jeremy Irons and Brendan Gleeson.
The R-rated movie was followed in the rankings by another new R-rated movie, House of Wax, which brought in $12.2 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.
"House of Wax, featuring Elisha Cuthbert and Paris Hilton in a remake of the Vincent Price horror tale, is the latest from producer Joel Silver's Dark Castle Entertainment.
The other notable new movie this weekend was Crash, which features Don Cheadle, Sandra Bullock, Matt Dillon and rapper Chris "Ludacris" Bridges in intertwining stories examining racial stereotypes in Los Angeles. The R-rated film played in 1,864 theaters and finished fourth with $9.1 million.
"The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy dropped to third place with nearly $9.13 million after debuting last weekend at the top spot.
Hollywood's box office slump continued with revenues down for the 11th straight weekend compared with the same weekend last year.
The top 12 movies grossed $76.9 million, down 24 per cent from last year at this time when Van Helsing and Mean Girls were the top movies.
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