Brittany, Ashton Score at Box Office

By Stephen M. Silverman

Monday January 13, 2003 01:00 AM EST

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Real-life couple Brittany Murphy and Ashton Kutcher have some real-life celebrating to do.

Their new slapstick comedy, "Just Married," had quite a honeymoon this weekend, opening as the No. 1 movie despite being drubbed by critics who found it oh-so-predictable.

The low-budget movie, which cost a reported $18 million, has already made back its cost, pulling in $18 million at the box office.

"The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers," which had been the top movie for three straight weekends, slipped to second place but still managed to add $15 million to its impressive total. It has made $283.6 million in North America alone since its release, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Industry observers say "The Two Towers" remains on track to surpass the $313 million total of 2001's "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring."

Steven Spielberg's "Catch Me If You Can," with Leonardo DiCaprio, was No. 3, with a cumulative gross of $119.5 million, making it the 23rd movie released in 2002 to make more than $100 million. This beats the previous record of 22 movies, set in 2000.

This weekend's Top 10 movies, according to movie studio estimates, are as follows:

1. "Just Married," $18 million
2. "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers," $15 million
3. "Catch Me If You Can," $14.8 million
4. "Two Weeks Notice," $6.7 million
5. "About Schmidt," $6.3 million
6. "Chicago," $5.6 million
7 (tie). "Maid in Manhattan," $5 million
7 (tie). "Gangs of New York," $5 million
9. "Antwone Fisher," $3.8 million
10. "Adaptation," $2.9 million