In a lacklustre weekend that saw no movie cross $9 million, Mira Nair's period drama Vanity Fair ate the dust.

Its $4.8 million three-day estimated gross was uninspiring even for a film that was screened in about 1,100 theatres.

Most high profile films are seen in over 2,500 theaters. Its distributor Focus was hoping for a strong word of mouth and upbeat reviews before adding more theatres.

The disappointing opening for Vanity Fair proved again that stars like Reese Witherspoon or Jim Carrey could give an arthouse film a certain high profile but their presence does not always succeed into turning the movie into a mainstream hit.

Carrey's last film, the low-budget offbeat comedy Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind, grossed about $35 million in North America and a similar amount abroad. The movie could still make a small profit as it was made on a small budget.

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It is too early to write off Vanity Fair, as many American films perform far better abroad. It had a very good reception at the Venice International Film Festival, according to Associated Press. Nair's Monsoon Wedding had received the top award there three years ago.

But one thing is certain. Given the fair amount of critical drubbing it has taken from the likes of The New York Times, and its indifferent box office, Vanity Fair will have a hard time attracting Oscar and Golden Globe voters.

Released along with Paparazzi, The Cookout and Wicker Park Vanity Fair scored the lowest.

The Labour Day weekend is one of the slowest periods for movies in America. Millions of Americans would rather spend the weekend barbecuing or getting ready to return to schools and universities rather than watch movies in theatres -- unless there is a compelling film around.

While Hero tumbled by about 50 percent in its second week, earning $8.8 million over the weekend, it still retained the crown.

Holding steady, the teen comedy Without A Paddle cruised in second spot. The movie, which cost about $20 million to make and has grossed a pleasing $38 million in three weeks, should break even by next week. The producers get about half the box office gross.

At number three, the reptile thriller Anacondas: The Hunt For The Blood Orchid lost about 50 percent of its box office venom. But the low budget shocker is on its way to a small profit.

Paparazzi revolves around a no-nonsense, hot-headed celebrity (Cole Hauser), who hunts down a gang of criminal photographers, led by Tom Sizemore, who invade the privacy of his family. Mel Gibson's Icon company produced the film. It took a disappointing $6.2 million and was in fourth place.

It was followed by The Cookout, a comedy about a newly minted basketball star (Quaran Pender) whose neighbourhood barbecue goes out of control. Though not too many people turned out, the film opened in fifth spot with $5.6 million. It could make money since it was made for about $10 million.

The psychological drama Wicker Park, starring Josh Hartnett, is a remake of the French film L'Appartement. It was in seventh place, following Princess Diaries 2.

Hartnett plays a Chicago investment banker, who returns home after being away for two years. His troubles surface when he becomes obsessed with a woman he suddenly spots in a café and believes her to be his long-lost love.

Many critics were not impressed with Wicker Park (right).

Though it did not open to huge numbers five weeks ago, the Michael Mann's thriller Collateral has not faced a huge decline like many recent films, and is headed for a healthy $100 million run.

Given Tom Cruise's enormous popularity abroad, the movie could gross twice internationally what it made in America.

With Collateral at number eight and Vanity Fair at number nine, the last place on the chart went to the sturdy Matt Damon thriller The Bourne Supremacy which is looking at $175 million.

The film, which was made for about $75 million, has already become profitable in North America, and its initial run abroad suggests it is going to have a long life overseas.

The box office this week:

Rank	Film	Weekend gross	Total gross	Number of weeks
1	Hero	$8.8 million (less 51% from previous week)	$32m	2
2	Without A Paddle	$7 million (less 18% from previous week)	$38m	3
3	Anacondas	$6.4million (less 50% from previous week)	$22.5m	2
4	Paparazzi	$6.2 million	$6.2m	New
5	The Cookout	$5.6 million	$3m	New
6	Princess Diaries 2	$5.4 million (less 33% from previous week)	$83m	4
7	Wicker Park	$5.3 million	$5.3m	New
8	Collateral	$5 million (less 23% from previous week)	$87m	5
9	Vanity Fair	$4.8 million	$5.9m	5 days
10	The Bourne Supremacy	$4.1 million (less 12% from previous week)	$163m	7