Vital 'Signs'

Were movie audiences in the mood to be scared this weekend? ''Signs'' point to yes.

Mel Gibson's crop-circle thriller ''Signs'' exploded at the box office, earning $60.3 million, according to studio estimates -- easily enough to knock ''Austin Powers in Goldmember'' out of the top slot. Thanks to exciting TV ads and a PG-13 rating, ''Signs,'' in which Gibson plays a farmer who discovers possible alien activity on his property, attracted far beyond the actor's typical opening-weekend fan base. Until now, Gibson's best openings -- ''Ransom,'' ''What Women Want,'' and the two last ''Lethal Weapon'' films -- all debuted with $33 million or $34 million. ''Signs'' almost doubled that. Plus, it's a bona fide career best for writer-director M. Night Shyamalan, whose last movie, ''Unbreakable,'' opened with $30.3 million. Depending on audience word of mouth, ''Signs'' could end up with more than $150 million.

After a record-breaking debut last week, ''Austin Powers in Goldmember'' didn't even put up a fight against Mel. ''Goldmember'' plummeted 56 percent from last week's $73.1 million weekend, bringing in another $32.4 million. By comparison, 1999's ''Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me'' fell only 43 percent in its second weekend. Granted, when a movie becomes the biggest comedy opening of all time -- as ''Goldmember did last weekend -- the only way to go is down.

Two new films landed in third and fourth place. Dana Carvey's goofy comedy ''Master of Disguise'' started off with a promising $13 million, while Martin Lawrence's concert ''Martin Lawrence Live: Runteldat'' grossed $7.5 million despite playing in only around 750 theaters. Meanwhile, Tom Hanks' gangster drama ''Road to Perdition'' rounded out the top five with $6.6 million.

Julia Roberts' new ensemble flick, ''Full Frontal,'' opened outside the top 10, thanks to a theater count of only 200, nowhere near the 3,000-plus of ''Signs'' and ''Austin Powers.'' Looks like Julia could use a little extra mojo.