Crouching Tiger... nets $117.7 million

Arthur J Pais

Along Came A Spider film failed this week, to dislodge Spy Kids, an espionage adventure for children, which is in its second week.

The detective film based on James Patterson's bestselling novel with the same name, however, performed well, grossing about $17.1 million. It stars Morgan Freeman as Alex Cross, Washington DC homicide detective, who investigates the kidnapping of two school children by an enigmatic psychopath.

Critics roasted the film but audiences embraced it more warmly than they did Kiss The Girls. The first film featuring Cross, Kiss The Girls also starred Freeman and grossed a strong $105 million worldwide.

Meanwhile, Spy Kids remained at the top of American box office for a second straight weekend, with its $17.8 million weekend gross. The film has taken in approximately $49 million in ten days, and is expected to reach the $100 million mark in a month.

The film unfolds the adventures of two young siblings who get caught up in the world of their secret-agent parents.

Young adults and preteens, though, flocked to Spy Kids. Pokemon 3: The Movie collected a disappointing $9.2 million. The first Pokemon opened with approximately $31 million, the second with about $16 million. Warner Bros, the distributors of all three Pokemon movies, say that there won't be a fourth!

Oscar-winner Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is still roaring at the box office. It ate up $3 million this weekend, its gross standing at $117.7 million. It is expected to end its American run with $125 million, the highest grossing foreign film.

The second highest grossing foreign film is the Oscar-winning Italian film, Life Is Beautiful, which grossed $58 million.