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'Norbit' wins weekend
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Movie fans couldn't pass up three Eddie Murphys for the price of one.
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More from MoviesMurphy's comedy "Norbit," in which he plays three wildly different roles, opened as the top weekend movie with $34.2 million, according to final figures Monday.
The DreamWorks production easily beat the MGM-Weinstein Co. thriller "Hannibal Rising," a prequel about "The Silence of the Lambs" serial killer Hannibal Lecter, which debuted in a distant No. 2.
"Norbit" benefited from the huge acclaim Murphy has received for "Dreamgirls," for which he is up for a supporting-actor Academy Award.
"Norbit" was the 14th No. 1 opening for Murphy and, despite being trashed by critics, came in well above the expectations of Paramount, which projected it might pull in $25 million over its opening weekend.
Here are the top 10 movies at the box office Friday through Sunday, according to Nielsen EDI:
1. "Norbit," $34.2 million.
2. "Hannibal Rising," $13.1 million.
3. "Because I Said So," $9.2 million.
4. "The Messengers," $7.2 million.
5. "Night at the Museum," $5.8 million.
6. "Epic Movie," $4.6 million.
7. "Smokin' Aces," $4.1 million.
8. "Pan's Labyrinth," $3.6 million.
9. "Dreamgirls," $3 million.
10. "The Queen," $2.4 million.
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