"Finding Nemo" Hooks $70 Million

Audiences found Nemo--and how. Pixar's Finding Nemo caught a whopping $70.3 million, the best-ever weekend haul for an animated movie.

The G-rated fish tale made such waves over the weekend that it swamped last week's major attraction, Bruce Almighty, which took a less than heavenly tumble down to a second-place $37.3 million, according to final studio tallies Monday.

Debuting in third place, the heist caper The Italian Job opened with a relatively minnow-like $19.5 million.

Finding Nemo is the fifth Pixar computer-animated movie to open as an impressive number one. Its debut--the biggest three-day opening total for any Disney film, live or 'toon--easily tops the $62.5 million gobbled up by Monsters, Inc in 2001 and the $57.3 million captured by Toy Story 2 in 1999, and is way ahead of the $33.2 million for A Bug's Life in 1998 and the $29.1 million for the original Toy Story in 1995. Nemo, which cost an estimated $100 million to make, should easily repeat the mega-grosses of its predecessors.

The comic adventure of a curious little clown fish sought by his neurotic dad through deep waters all the way to a dentist's aquarium, played at 3,374 sites and averaged $20,821 per. The financial high tide was buoyed by such celeb voices as Albert Brooks, Ellen DeGeneres and Barry "Dame Edna" Humphries. The huge dollar total was achieved despite discounts for kids and lower matinee prices. The movie also reeled in many adults at late-night showtimes. It nearly did twice as well as the second weekend showings of Jim Carrey's playing-God comedy, which fell off 45 percent, averaging $10,690 at 3,492 sites. But powered by last weekend's debut, the PG-13 Universal release has already racked up $137.4 million in two weeks.

The Italian Job, Paramount's PG-13 crime flick (a retooling of a so-so 1969 movie, starring Michael Caine) featuring Mark Wahlberg, Edward Norton and Charlize Theron, averaged a so-so $7,390 at 2,633 sites.

The weekend's other newbie, Wrong Turn, clearly was one. Fox's R-rated horror trip was deep-sixed by the competition, managing just a sixth-place debut on $5.2 million in ticket sales. Starring TV actors Jeremy Sisto and Eliza Dushku, Wrong Turn could only scare up a $3,196 average at 1,615 sites.

Remaining in the top 10, but falling far and fast, were the action hits The Matrix Reloaded, down 57 percent and two places to number four with $15.7 million for a current total gross of $232.7 million, and X2: X-Men United, down 51 percent and three places to number seven with $5.1 million for a current total gross of $199.4 million.

In limited release, Together, a coming-of-age tale about a Chinese boy and his violin, played at just six sites and averaged a pleasantly tuneful $11,535 for $69,209. The documentary Capturing the Friedmans, about a Long Island family caught in a pedophilia scandal, averaged $23,718 at just three theaters to gross $65,000.

Overall, according to box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations, the top 12 movies this Friday to Sunday grossed a combined $168.2 million, a gain of 7 percent over last weekend and a major 44 percent leap since this time last year.

Here's a rundown of the top 10 weekend movies:

1. Finding Nemo, $70.3 million
2. Bruce Almighty, $37.3 million
3. The Italian Job, $19.5 million
4. The Matrix Reloaded, $15.7 million
5. Daddy Day Care, $6.7 million
6. Wrong Turn, $5.2 million
7. X2: X Men-United, $5.1 million
8. The In-Laws, $3.7 million
9. Down With Love, $1.6 million
10. The Lizzie McGuire Movie, $1.2 million

(Originally published June 1, 2003 at 1:30 p.m. PT.)