'Storm' swamps 'Patriot'

Wide-opening weather actioner earns estimated $41 mil

By DADE HAYES

In a stunning upset, Warner Bros.' "The Perfect Storm" nearly doubled up Sony's "The Patriot" through the first three days of their epic box-office battle.

"Storm" tallied a studio-estimated $41.7 million for the Friday-Sunday period, averaging $12,270 per engagement. The Wolfgang Petersen-directed seafaring actioner starring George Clooney and Mark Wahlberg enjoyed the third-widest bow in B.O. history, with 3,407 playdates.

"The Patriot," an R-rated Revolutionary War tale toplining Mel Gibson, managed an estimated $21.7 million. Following a Wednesday bow, its cume is $30 million.

Most early tracking and pundits had Gibson's commercial clout subduing Clooney & Co. in a tight race.

With much of showbiz shuttered Monday and Tuesday, the industry will look to five-day estimates for the real measure of Independence Day weekend performance.

ACNielsen EDI said the frame is already ahead of last year's record pace, which should help bolster the sagging summer B.O.

The other Fourth of July debut, Universal's "Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle," finished a feeble fifth, collecting merely $6.6 million.