LOS ANGELES, Feb 13 (AFP) - Will Smith's new film "Hitch" debuted with a bang, reaping 45.3 million dollars at the North American box office, a record opening for a romantic comedy.
It bested last year's record 39.9 million-dollar open for the romantic romp "50 First Dates," also distributed by Sony.
"Hitch" was trailed by a "Boogeyman," which earned 10.8 million dollars in its second week, and Ice Cube's comedy "Are We There Yet?" which earned 8.5 million dollard in its fourth week.
In the fourth-place spot was Oscar-nominated boxing drama "Million Dollar Baby" with 7.6 million dollars; followed by "Pooh's Heffalump Movie" at 6.0 million and thriller "Hide and Seek" at 5.6 million dollars.
They were trailed by romantic comedy "The Wedding Date" with 5.6 million dollars; comedy "Sideways" with 4.8 million; Leonardo DiCaprio's Howard Hughes biopic "The Aviator" with 4.6 million dollars and "Meet the Fockers" with 3.4 million dollars.
02/13/2005 19:43 GMT - AFP