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''Signs'' will direct the box office this weekend | 161050__signsbop_l
HOAX BUSTERS Gibson and Phoenix will likely be No. 1 at the box office again this weekend with their hit flick, ''Signs''
By Dave Karger
Dave Karger
Dave Karger
Dave Karger, a senior writer at EW, also reports on box office and other movie- related matters on NBC's ''Today''

Be afraid. Be very afraid. No, not because of the new horror movie ''FearDotCom'' -- what's really scary is how deadly this weekend will be at the box office.

With only one new wide release on the calendar, the long Labor Day weekend offers moviegoers the chance to catch up on summer flicks they've missed over the last few weeks -- though most people will probably avoid the multiplexes all together.

Because of a severe lack of competition, Mel Gibson's ''Signs,'' which reclaimed the top slot last weekend, should repeat for its third nonconsecutive week. After earning $14.3 million last weekend, it should gross another $13 million during the holiday weekend, bringing its total past $190 million.

Close behind could be ''My Big Fat Greek Wedding,'' which continues to expand into more theaters, riding positive word of mouth and benefiting from a lack of other romantic comedies. An $11 million weekend would give ''Wedding'' its best finish to date at No. 2. That is, unless Vin Diesel muscles ''XXX'' to the runner-up slot instead. But since his spy thriller has suffered sizable drops in the past few weeks, a weekend take of about $9 million seems likely.

Fourth and fifth place should go to ''Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams,'' and to the week's only big debut, ''FearDotCom,'' a cookie-cutter thriller starring Stephen Dorff about, like, a freaky website or something. Whatever. Both films should rack up about $8 million this weekend, though ''FearDotCom'' will be a distant memory within a month.


Posted Aug 30, 2002 | Order Article Reprints