was No. 1. Snow storms in the Northeast kept moviegoers away from theaters, and industry observers noted a paucity of new quality films with wide appeal. New releases next weekend include "Exit Wounds," starring Steven Seagal and rapper DMX, and the Battle of Stalingrad drama "Enemy at the Gates."
"15 Minutes" stars De Niro as a celebrity cop and Burns as an arson investigator. Together they hunt two eastern European thugs who videotape their crime rampage across New York in hopes of becoming media stars.
Officials for the film's distributor, New Line Cinema, declined comment, but observers said "15 Minutes" opened at the low end of expectations.
The studio, a unit of AOL Time Warner Inc., is reeling from executive shuffles, layoffs and a string of poorly performing films, most recently the Cuban missile crisis drama "Thirteen Days."
"Get Over It," a $12 million-budgeted movie released by Walt Disney Co.'s Miramax Films, revolves around a jilted teen-age boy who falls for the kid sister of his best friend.
Rounding out the top five were the canine caper "See Spot Run" from Warner Bros., a unit of AOL Time Warner, which held steady at No. 3 with $6.6 million; the gruesome thriller "Hannibal" from MGM, down two from last week to No. 4 with $5.7 million; and the comedy "Down to Earth" from Paramount, a unit of Viacom Inc. , down one to No. 5 with $5.5 million.
"See Spot Run" has grossed $18 million after 10 days, "Hannibal" $151 million after 31 days, and "Down to Earth" $51 million after 24 days.
Elsewhere, the drugs war saga "Traffic" (USA Films) was expected to pass $100 million next Saturday, while the martial arts romance "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" (Sony Pictures Classics) should reach that milestone a few days afterward.
Their respective totals stand at $97.5 million and $94.6 million. USA Films is a unit of USA Networks Inc., while Sony Classics is a unit of Sony Corp. Reuters
Seagal linked to threat to L.A. Times reporter (2002-11-25)Steven Seagal makes grand "Exit" at box office (2001-03-19)'Mexican' Spices Up Chilly Box Office (2001-03-12)Eye' Leads North America Box Office by Nose (2000-01-31)11 (11285)
