In a particularly unsavory box office duel, Eddie Murphy's officious comedy Norbit far outgrossed the Hannibal Lecter "prequel" Hannibal Rising for box-office supremacy over the weekend, despite poor notices for both films. With a staggering $33.7 million draw—roughly $11 million for each unfunny walking stereotype played by Murphy in the film—Norbit extended the actor's reliable record in broad, family-friendly comedies that no one should be forced to watch. (Won't somebody think of the children?!) It would seem that the well has finally run dry on Thomas Harris' serial killer franchise; after the mostly reviled book and film version of Hannibal, and the disappointing adaptation of his Red Dragon, audiences are no longer allowing their hard-earned money to get scared out of them. Perhaps if Anthony Hopkins could have returned as the least convincing teenager since Judge Reinhold in Fast Times At Ridgemont High, Hannibal Rising might have done better than its middling $13.4 million take.
In limited release, the Oscar-nominated German film The Lives Of Others opened strong on nine screens, with a $24,000 per-screen-average, no doubt bolstered by excellent reviews (save for the mixed one in this publication).