A Rush to 'Rush Hour 2,' 'Apes' Slip

By Stephen M. Silverman

08/06/2001 at 08:16 AM EDT

"Rush Hour 2," starring Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker, stopped traffic over the weekend. The buddy-cop sequel had the biggest comedy debut ever and the third-best non-holiday opening on record (following last week's "Planet of the Apes" and this summer's "The Mummy Returns"), according to studio estimates. "Planet of the Apes" slipped to No. 2, following the pattern of many other major releases this summer, opening big but then nose-diving in its second weekend. "Apes" slipped a steep 58%. (Still, the Tim Burton film has grossed $124.7 million in 10 days.) "The Princess Diaries," a G-rated light comedy starring Julie Andrews and Anne Hathaway, surprised industry observers and performed strongly. It was the weekend's No. 3. The Top 10:

1. "Rush Hour 2," $66.8 million
2. "Planet of the Apes," $28.5 million
3. "The Princess Diaries," $23.2 million
4. "Jurassic Park III," $12.1 million
5. "America's Sweethearts," $8.4 million
6. "Original Sin," $6.4 million
7. "Legally Blonde," $6.1 million
8. "The Score," $5 million
9. "Cats & Dogs," $2.3 million
10. "Dr. Dolittle 2," $2.1 million