"Underworld" Rises, "Brokeback" Bolstered

It was a regular monster mash at the multiplex.

The vampires vs. werewolves sequel Underworld: Evolution scared up $26.9 million to dominate the weekend box office, while Brokeback Mountain and Walk the Line got big boosts from their big wins at the Golden Globes.

Proving the old Hollywood axiom that teen boys will go see a leather-clad Kate Beckinsale no matter what the critics say, Underworld: Evolution debuted in 3,207 sites and averaged $8,375 per screen. The R-rated sequel, again helmed by Len Wiseman (aka Mr. Kate Beckinsale), had a "a fantastic start that delivered at the high end of expectations," according to a statement from the distributor, Sony's Screen Gems. The action-heavy fright flick also outperformed the original, which opened with $21.8 million in 2003.

Underworld: Evolution accounted for 28 percent of ticket sales from Friday through Sunday, with the audience 55 percent male and 54 percent under 25.

A third installment is already on the drawing board.

The only other major newbie was End of the Spear, which managed a less than sharp $4.3 million in eighth place. The PG-13 Rocky Mountain Pictures release, about Christian missionaries attempting to convert a violent South American tribe, landed in 1,162 theaters, where it averaged just $3,684.

That was a couple notches above The New World, which New Line expanded to 811 sites after playing at just three theaters for the past five weeks to qualify for awards attention. Terrence Malick's stylish take on the Pocahontas tale, starring Colin Farrell and newcomer Q'Orianka Kilcher, finished in 11th place with $4 million on a $4,969 average.

Meanwhile, bolstered by its leading Globe wins, including Best Picture, Drama, Brokeback Mountain proved it could draw a broad audience. Adding 513 screens for a total of 1,196, the R-rated Focus drama, starring Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal, moved up from ninth to fifth place with $7.8 million from a solid $6,548 average. That brings its seven-week gross to $42.1 million.

Even after 10 weeks in release, Walk the Line, which won a trio of Golden Globes (Best Picture, Musical or Comedy and acting awards for Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon), registered what distributor 20th Century Fox called a "phenomenal" jump, gaining 77 percent. Now in 1,125 theaters, the Johnny Cash biopic tallied $3.1 million for the weekend in 13th place to bring its total to $102.1 million.

Meanwhile, the two films that earned acting honors in the Globes' drama category, and figure to be major Oscar contenders, added screens and rung up big gains. Capote, starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, added 218 sites to play at 348 locations and gained 108 percent for a weekend haul of $867,621. After 17 weeks, the Sony Picture Classics release has earned $14.3 million. Transamerica, starring Felicity Huffman, added 29 sites to play at 38 and 248 percent with $316,611. After eight weeks, the Weinstein Co. release has earned $876,859.

Opening this weekend in limited release, Albert Brooks' topical yukfest Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World , a PG-13 Warner Independent release, averaged just $2,666 at 161 sites for $429,223.

At six sites, Why We Fight, Eugene Jarecki's topical documentary about the profitable weapons business and winner of the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance last year, averaged a much stronger $8,629 for $53,571.

Elsewhere, the two movies that virtually dead-heated last weekend finished 2-3 on the charts. But this time, it was Hookwinked, last week's number two, that won out, dropping just 16 percent to earn $10.4 million in the runner-up slot; Glory Road, last week's number one, dropped 35 percent to third place with $8.8 million. However Disney's basketball tale just nipped the Weinstein Co.'s fractured fairy tale in the per-screen average race, with $3,660 at 2,396 sites compared to $3,467 at 3,002 sites.

Finally, Jim Carrey's Fun with Dick and Jane ran away with $5.8 million in seventh place this weekend, allowing it to cross the coveted $100 million mark with a five-week total of $101.4 million. The struggling Sony hailed it as "a true milestone given all the competition it waded through during the holiday season and a real validation of the movie...It is a marketplace favorite that cleared the hurdle on solid word of mouth."

Overall, the top 12 movies registered $94.5million, down 7 percent from last weekend, but up 14 percent from this time last year, when the road comedy Are We There Yet? led the pack.

Here's a rundown of the top-grossing movies, according to final studio figures compiled by Exhibitor Relations:

1. Underworld: Evolution, $26.9 million
2. Hoodwinked, $10.4 million
3. Glory Road, $8.8 million
4. Last Holiday, $8.7 million
5. Brokeback Mountain, $7.8 million
6. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, $6.2 million
7. Fun With Dick and Jane, $5.8 million
8. End of the Spear, $4.3 million
9. Hostel, $4.25 million
10. King Kong, $4.22 million

(Originally published Jan. 22, 2006 at 1:05 p.m. PT.)