August 02, 2006

Jamie Foxx, Colin Farrell Wrestle Box-Office Crown From Johnny Depp

By Alyssa Rashbaum (MTV.com)

In the box-office battle of cops versus pirates, a pair of suave detectives came out on top of the swashbuckling bandits, making Miami Vice the weekend's No. 1 film.

The big-screen version of the iconic 1980s television series kicked Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest out of the No. 1 spot it had held for three weeks. Miami Vice claims the box-office crown with more than $25.1 million, according to early estimates.

With Colin Farrell taking over Don Johnson's Detective James "Sonny" Crockett role, and Jamie Foxx playing Detective Ricardo Tubbs, the film finds the two cops going undercover to crack a security breach in the Joint Inter-Agency Task Force.

While Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest was thwarted by Miami Vice this week, the former champ did manage to best two other new releases, slipping just one spot from No. 1 to No. 2. The record-breaking sequel -- starring Johnny Depp, Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom -- earned more than $20.4 million its fourth weekend in theaters.

Vengeance-seeking high school students followed the treasure-seeking pirates, as teen flick John Tucker Must Die bows at No. 3. In the comedy, three of the most popular girls in school discover they've all been dating the same guy and decide to band together with a new girl in town to mess with Tucker's reputation and emotions. Starring Jesse Metcalfe as the title character -- and Ashanti and Brittany Snow as two of the girls out to get him -- the film earned more than $14 million.

Two family-friendly flicks filled out the upper half of the box-office top 10. At No. 4 is Monster House, which fell two spots from No. 2. The animated film about three children who realize their neighbor's house has a dangerous mind of its own earned $11.5 million. And bowing at No. 5 with $8.1 million is The Ant Bully. The animated film centers on Lucas, a bullied new kid in town who takes out his frustrations on the ants in his yard -- who strike back and shrink Lucas down to their size to teach him a lesson.

You, Me and Dupree felt the weight of the new releases this week, dropping two spots from No. 4 to No. 6. The comedy, starring Kate Hudson and Matt Dillon as newlyweds and Owen Wilson as the buddy who decides to crash on their couch, earned more than $7 million.

Overall, ticket sales were up from the corresponding weekend last year.

Next week, look for Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, The Descent and Barnyard to debut in the box-office top 10.