and Matthew Lillard, cost about $80 million to make, with a quarter of that spent on the computer-animated titular pooch.The Ben Affleck nuclear thriller "The Sum of All Fears" (Paramount), which had ruled the box office the last two weekends, slipped to No. 4 with $13.5 million for the Friday-to-Sunday period. Its 17-day total is $84.5 million.
In between, were two other debuts, both delayed by almost a year. The Matt Damon spy thriller "The Bourne Identity" (Universal) opened at No. 2 with a strapping $27.5 million; and Nicolas Cage's WWII drama "Windtalkers" (MGM) earned a disappointing $14.5 million, the latest in a string of flops at billionaire Kirk Kerkorian's studio. "Bourne" reportedly cost $60 million and "Windtalkers" upwards of $120 million. BOFFO BOX OFFICE
On the plus side, "Scooby-Doo" propelled the box office to its strongest level in four weeks. The top 12 films grossed $160 million, up 55 percent from last weekend, and up 25 percent from the year-ago weekend, according to tracking firm Exhibitor Relations.
Warner Bros. distribution president Dan Fellman said industrywide year-to-date sales were up 25 percent from last year, and the box office was on track to reach $10 billion this year, up from 2001's record $9 billion.
Fellman's studio, a unit of AOL Time Warner Inc., accounted for 43 percent of this weekend's receipts, with assists from "The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood" at No. 5 ($9.8 million) and "Insomnia" at No. 11 ($3.7 million).
A "Scooby-Doo" sequel is in the works for 2004, said Fellman; producer Charles Roven, who developed the project through his Mosaic Media banner, said he was still waiting for an official announcement from the studio.
The movie's appeal is multi-generational, said Roven, who noted that the Hanna-Barbera stoner classic has enjoyed a virtually uninterrupted run on TV over three decades.
While Prinze has said its attraction boils down to a talking dog, Roven said it goes deeper than that: audiences can relate to its "scared heroes" as they solve paranormal mysteries. Raja Gosnell directed the film, which also starred Linda Cardellini. 'BOURNE' BUOYANT
"The Bourne Identity," in which Damon plays an amnesiac hitman, was first slated to open nine months ago. It was held up by a turbulent production that pitted director Doug Liman ("Swingers") against Universal on his first studio shoot.
Opening the "fresh and hip" thriller in a competitive summer slot was a risky proposition that paid off, said Nikki Rocco, distribution president at the Vivendi Universal SA -owned studio.
On the other hand director John Woo's "Windtalkers, originally scheduled for a June 2001 release, opened below expectations. "It clearly didn't perform quite at the level we had hoped for," said Robert Levin, president of marketing and distribution at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. .
He declined to specify what the studio had hoped for.
MGM has suffered a disappointing eight months, with such pictures as "Bandits," "Rollerball" and "Hart's War." Cage was last in theaters with "Captain Corelli's Mandolin," another war drama that bombed.
New releases next weekend include the sports comedy "Juwanna Mann," the cartoon "Lilo & Stitch" and the Tom Cruise thriller "Minority Report."
Paramount Pictures, the distributor of "The Sum of All Fears," is owned by Viacom Inc . Reuters
'Scooby-Doo' Sequel Has Wow Bow at U.S. Box Office (2004-03-29)Warner Bros. Plans 'Scooby-Doo' Sequel (2002-06-23)'Scooby-Doo' Snacks on $56 Million at Box Office (2002-06-16)6 (11285)
