'Kill Bill' picks up where it left off

April 19, 2004|David Germain, Associated Press

LOS ANGELES -- Quentin Tarantino's "Kill Bill" saga slayed its movie rivals once again, with part two of the vengeance tale following its predecessor as the country's No. 1 weekend draw.

"Kill Bill -- Vol. 2," with Uma Thurman as an ex-assassin continuing her bloody quest for revenge against former colleagues, debuted with $25.6 million, according to studio estimates yesterday.

That was up 16 percent from the $22.1 million opening weekend that "Kill Bill -- Vol. 1" delivered last October. Part two is expected to match or exceed the $69.9 million domestic total of "Kill Bill -- Vol. 1," said Rick Sands, chief operating officer of Miramax, which released the movies.

Another tale of retribution, the comic-book adaptation "The Punisher," opened in second place with $14 million. Thomas Jane plays an ex-FBI agent targeting the crime boss (John Travolta) who wiped out his family.

Nia Vardalos -- writer and star of the weekend's other big new release, "Connie and Carla" -- was unable to recapture the box-office magic that made "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" a blockbuster. "Connie and Carla," about two musical-theater singers posing as men in a drag-queen revue while hiding from mobsters, finished well out of the top 10 with $3.26 million. The movie costars Toni Collette and David Duchovny.

Vardalos's "Greek Wedding" debuted in 108 theaters two years ago with little fanfare, grossing $597,362 and averaging a solid $5,531 per cinema over opening weekend. Audience word of mouth gradually built the romantic comedy into a $241 million sensation.

In contrast, "Connie and Carla" debuted in 1,014 theaters and averaged a weak $3,210. The overall box office dipped slightly after seven straight weekends of rising revenue. The top 12 movies grossed $86.6 million, down 2 percent from the same weekend a year ago.