'Vice' gets a grip on still-strong 'Pirates'
'Miami' heats up screens to cool 'Caribbean'
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"John Tucker Must Die" also opened solidly, scoring big with teenage girls as it took in $14.1 million.
"The Ant Bully" got pushed around by the competition, however, opening to a weak $8.1 million and contributing to a tough frame for Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures as their "Lady in the Water" took a big drop after a soft opening.
Though it slipped to No. 2 after three weeks of grabbing the most B.O. booty, "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" declined a relatively modest 42% on its fourth frame. Pic hauled in $20.5 million to lift cume to an amazing $358.4 million, a domestic record for Disney; $400 million-plus is now almost assured.
In limited release, Fox Searchlight's $10.5 million Sundance acquisition "Little Miss Sunshine" is looking like a good investment. Indie comedy bowed to a boffo $356,863 at just seven theaters, averaging $50,980 per play.
Focus opened new Woody Allen comedy "Scoop" to a decent $3 million at 538 theaters, averaging $5,582. Bow is one of Allen's best ever in wide release.
Total take for the weekend was up 5% from a year ago, putting the 2006 B.O. lead over 2005 at a healthy 5%, according to Nielsen EDI.
"Miami Vice" perf was right in line with that of director Michael Mann's last film, "Collateral," which opened to $24.7 million. Given the new pic's $135 million budget, though, Universal has to hope "Vice" has legs at least as strong as "Collateral," which went on to cume $100 million, and also does well overseas.
"My expectations for the weekend were certainly met, but it's important to remember that Michael Mann's films tend to leg out, and the ancillaries on a movie like this mean so much," U distrib topper Nikki Rocco noted.
Mann actioners typically have appealed more to men, but the "Miami Vice" aud was, surprisingly, evenly split between the genders, with 62% of moviegoers over 30. A sizable 30% of auds were African-American.
Jamie Foxx and Colin Farrell starrer averaged $8,340 at 3,021 locations.
Fox's teen comedy "Tucker" sold more than half its tickets to its target aud of females under 25. Comedy played 2,560 theaters and had an average take of $5,498.
"This is a modestly budgeted film that is going to be very profitable," boasted Fox distribution veep Chris Aronson.
"The Ant Bully" marks another disappointment for Warner Bros., along with partner Legendary, in a tough summer. Though produced for less than $50 million, toon still underperformed amid a crowded season for animation, bowing just a week after "Monster House" and with "Cars" still playing. Paramount's "Barnyard" enters the fray Friday.
"Animated family films typically hang in there with a three- or four-times multiple, but the opening was certainly less than we wanted," said WB exec veep of distribution Jeff Goldstein.
"Little Miss Sunshine" has cumed $448,877 since its Wednesday bow.
"We essentially sold out all our evening shows on Friday and Saturday," noted indie's chief operating officer, Steve Gilula.
Pic expands to about 60 theaters in the top 10 markets Friday and will grow again Aug. 11 before going national Aug. 18.
Among last week's openers, "Monster House" had an average dropoff, declining 48% to $11.5 million, making it No. 3. Both "Lady in the Water" and "Clerks II" declined a sizable 61%, taking $7 million and $3.9 million, respectively, in their second frames.
Continued strong legs for "An Inconvenient Truth" helped Paramount Classics' global warming pic pass the $20 million mark this weekend, making it the fourth highest grossing docu of all time behind only "Fahrenheit 9/11," "March of the Penguins" and "Bowling for Columbine."
Bauer Martinez expanded Ed Burns' "The Groomsmen" from three to eight theaters and did a dismal $11,700, averaging $1,463. Cume is now $59,126.
First Independent moved David Mamet-penned "Edmund" from New York to Chicago and did a solid $9,000, upping cume to $58,000.
IFC doubled the print count for French import "Gabrielle" to six and did a so-so $32,200, or $5,366 per play, bringing cume to $139,040. Indie opened "Brothers of the Head" and "Darshan" at one theater each to a modest $5,610 and $3,157, respectively.
