LOS ANGELES — "Austin Powers in Goldmember," the second sequel about the toothy, oversexed spy, collected nearly $73 million to set a weekend debut record for a comedy film.
The previous comedy record was held by last summer's "Rush Hour 2," which opened with $67.4 million, according to box office tracker Exhibitor Relations.
"Goldmember," the third film in the Austin Power's franchise, ranks fourth among the top debuts in Hollywood history, behind "Spider-Man" in first place with $114.8, "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" with $90.2 and "Star Wars: Episode II — Attack of the Clones," which had $80 million.
"Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me," opened in June 1999 with $54.7 million, close to $1 million more than the original 1997 feature "Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery." "The Spy Who Shagged Me" went on to earn domestically about $206 million.
Disney's "The Country Bears," a takeoff on the Disneyland animatronic musical revue, was the only other film opening in wide release, coming in at No. 6 with $5.3 million.
The top 20 movies at North American theaters Friday through Sunday, followed by distribution studio, gross, number of theater locations, average receipts per location, total gross and number of weeks in release, as compiled Monday by Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc. and Nielsen EDI Inc. are:
1. "Austin Powers in Goldmember," New Line, $73 million, 3,613 locations, $20,225 average, $76.6 million, one week.
2. "Road to Perdition," DreamWorks, $11.1 million, 2,250 locations, $4,936 average, $65.6 million, three weeks.
3. "Stuart Little 2," Sony, $10.6 million, 3,282 locations,
$3,233 average, $34.7 million, two weeks.
4. "Men in Black II," Sony, $8.4 million, 3,542 locations, $2,393 average, $173.3 million, four weeks.
5. "K-19: The Widowmaker," Paramount, $7.2 million, 2,830 locations, $2,568 average, $24.9 million, two weeks.
6. "The Country Bears," Disney, $5.3 million, 2,553 locations, $2,080 average, $5.3 million, one week.
7. "Mr. Deeds," Sony, $4.2 million, 2,309 locations, $1,839 average, $116.1 million, five weeks.
8. "Reign of Fire," Disney, $3.4 million, 2,005 locations, $1,730 average, $36.4 million, three weeks.
9. "Minority Report," Fox, $3.1 million, 1,365 locations, $2,289 average, $123.3 million, six weeks.
10. "My Big Fat Greek Wedding," IFC Films, $3 million, 569 locations, $5,280 average, $35.4 million, 15 weeks.
11. "Lilo & Stitch," Disney, $2.7 million, 1,780 locations, $1,536 average, $134.2 million, six weeks.
12. "Halloween: Resurrection," Dimension, $2.7 million, 1,884 locations, $1,411 average, $26.9 million, three weeks.
13. "The Bourne Identity,'' Universal, $2.6 million, 1,155 locations, $2,255 average, $110.2 million, seven weeks.
14. "Eight Legged Freaks," Warner Bros., $2.4 million, 2,530 locations, $950 average, $14.1 million, two weeks.
15. "Like Mike," Fox, $2.3 million, 1,405 locations, $1,702 average, $46.1 million, four weeks.
16. "The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course," MGM, $1.8 million, 1,708 locations, $1,077 average, $23.2 million, three weeks.
17. "Star Wars: Episode II — Attack of the Clones," Fox, $771,155, 463 locations, $1,666 average, $296.9 million, 11 weeks.
18. "Space Station," IMAX, $678,094, 61 locations, $11,116 average, $16.3 million, 15 weeks.
19. "Scooby-Doo," Warner Bros., $644,424, 801 locations, $805 average, $150 million, seven weeks.
20. "Lovely and Amazing," Lions Gate, 565,000, 165 locations, $3,424 average, $1.7 million, five weeks.