Queen Latifah, whose dazzling performance as the corrupt prison warden in Chicago fetched her an Oscar nomination, is on a spree. Her Bringing Down The House, co-produced by Ashok Amritraj, shot through the roof over the weekend, earning an estimated $31.7 million.

It is the biggest opening for a film produced by Amritraj, whose output includes Bandits (with a $14 million opening weekend) starring Bruce Willis. Latifah is also executive producer of Bringing Down The House.

Latifah, the hip-hop singer-turned-actress, plays a wrongly imprisoned woman who, while in jail, strikes up an online relationship with a divorced but thoroughly conventional tax attorney (Steve Martin).

After her release, she looks him up, demanding his help to overturn her conviction. When he refuses, she invades not only his house but also his life and family business. Unable to overcome the embarrassment she has caused him, he caves in, only to realise in the end that he has become a different, perhaps better, person.
          
The hit movie was also a big achievement for Steve Martin, who has not had a solid hit for nearly a decade. The movie, made at about $40 million, exceeded expectations. Amritraj was hoping for a $16 million to $18 million opener.

Meanwhile, Bruce Willis's Tears of the Sun, which cost over $70 million, opened with reasonable numbers. But, compared to Bringing Down…, it wasn't looking great.

Willis plays a hard-nosed Navy Seal lieutenant who undergoes a crisis of conscience when he is sent to rescue a doctor (Monica Belucci) and her patients from a war-torn Nigerian village. Overcoming his earlier objections and disobeying his superiors in the process, he decides, at the doctor's persistent request, to risk his life to rescue the villagers.

Both films – Tears… in particular -- were panned by the major critics.

Continuing its box-office winning streak, Chicago added some 200 theatres, taking its theatre count to 2,600 and grossing $6.9 million (a 10 per cent drop from last week). Chicago's total collection has reached $114. 5 million. With 13 Oscar nominations, the film has proved a solid hit abroad. Even without an Oscar, its worldwide gross could exceed $250 million. With a handful of key Oscars, the movie, which was made for $50 million, could waltz to $300 million worldwide.  

As expected, last week's champ Crade 2 the Grave slumped heavily, losing about 60 per cent of its clout. It made about $6.5 million over the weekend. Still, the movie, which would earn perhaps $40 million in North America, will be profitable once the ancillary revenue from videos and DVDs flow in.

The breezy buddy comedy, Old School, grossed $9.2 million ($50.8 million gross), while another comedy How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days earned $6.8 million. With $86.8 million already taken, the Kate Hudson-Matthew McConaughey How To Lose… has a solid chance of reaching $100 million.

Though a profitable venture, Daredevil, a Marvel Comics adaptation starring Ben Affleck, is steadily losing altitude. Dropping 54 per cent from the previous week and grossing $5.1 million, the blind hero with supernatural powers has grossed $91.5 million.

Another big Oscar hopeful, The Hours, continues to draw limited audiences, mostly in big cities and university towns. It earned about $1.5 million and its total reached $33 million. Expect the film to end its American run with about $36 million. With a few major Oscar winners, it could reach $40 million. The movie, made at $25 million, is doing respectable business abroad. With an expected $70 million gross from across the world, it is bound to be a profitable venture.