'Spies' Make Mark

By Stephen M. Silverman

04/17/1998 at 12:00 AM EDT

Children claimed the box office this weekend, with the smash debut of the formulaic "Spy Kids," starring preteen stars Alexa Vega and Daryl Sabara as two enterprising kids who must rescue their secret agent parents, played by Antonio Banderas and Carla Gugino. A sequel is already in the works, according to the movie's producer, Miramax. Elsewhere on the weekend chart, Ashley Judd's "Someone Like You" trailed "Spy Kids" by a mile, while "Tomcats" was just outright disappointing. The Top 10, according to studio estimates:

1."Spy Kids," $27 million
2."Someone Like You," $10.3 million
3."Heartbreakers," $8.2 million
4."Tomcats," $6.5 million
5."The Brothers" $5.8 million
6."Enemy at the Gates," $5.3 million
7."Exit Wounds," $5.2 million
8."Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," $5 million
9."Traffic," $4.2 million
10."The Mexican" $2.6 million