That left the new overgrown frat comedy "Old School," starring Will Ferrell, Vince Vaughn and Luke Wilson, to debut at No. 2.
Two critically drubbed dramas, "The Life of David Gale," starring Kevin Spacey on Death Row, and the Civil War epic "Gods and Generals," featuring Robert Duvall as Gen. Robert E. Lee, debuted to so-so business, while the equally new "Dark Blue," with Kurt Russell and Ving Rhames, fell flat in ninth place.
"Daredevil," based on the Marvel Comics character, is poised to become the first movie released in 2003 to make more than $100 million, say industry observers, and it's soon expected to be followed by the musical "Chicago," which continues to trade on its leading 13 Oscar nominations.
To date, "Chicago" has made $94.4 million.
The Top 10 movies of the weekend, according to studio estimates, were as follows:
1. "Daredevil," $18.9 million
2. "Old School," $17.5 million
3. "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days," $11.9 million
4. "The Jungle Book 2," $8.6 million
5. "Chicago," $8.5 million
6. "The Life of David Gale," $7.2 million
7. "Shanghai Knights," $6.4 million
8. "Gods and Generals," $4.8 million
9. "Dark Blue," $3.75 million
10. "The Recruit," $3.5 million
JOSH & FERGIE: ROCKED BY SCANDAL
Did he cheat with a stripper?
Married less than a year, the couple denies an Atlanta woman’s claims that she and Josh had a fling
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