Stealth movie flops

Of the three new entries in the top 10, the superhero comedy "Sky High" did the best, opening at No. 3 with $14.6 million, exceeding observers' forecasts. The romantic comedy "Must Love Dogs" rounded out the rookies with a solid $13.1 million start at No. 5.

Overall ticket sales in North America hit their lowest level in more than two months. Year-on-year ticket sales for the top 12 films fell for the second consecutive weekend to $112.1 million, according to tracking firm Exhibitor Relations.

That is the lowest level for ticket sales since the weekend of May 13-15, when the tally was $95 million. Year-on-year ticket sales have fallen for 21 nonconsecutive weekends, broken only by two "up" weekends earlier this month.

New Line Cinema's "Wedding Crashers," starring Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn as fast-talking pals who sneak into weddings to hit on vulnerable women, has earned $116.1 million after three weekends, and should hit $150 million, said David Tuckerman, president of domestic theatrical distribution at the Time Warner Inc.

The movie lost just 20 percent of its audience from last weekend, a partial reflection of a more concerted marketing effort to target younger moviegoers, Tuckerman said. With its "R" rating, which bars viewers under 17 unless accompanied by an adult, the movie had been skewing older, he said.

"Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," starring Johnny Depp as creepy confectionery tycoon Willy Wonka, followed with $16.4 million. Director Tim Burton's adaptation of the Roald Dahl book has earned $148.1 million after three weekends. It was released by Time Warner's Warner Bros. Pictures.

"Stealth" was clearly a disappointment for its distributor, Sony Corp.'s Columbia Pictures, which has had an uncharacteristically low-key summer with such films as "Bewitched" and "XXX: State of the Union."

The studio hoped "Stealth" would open closer to $20 million, said Rory Bruer, its president of domestic theatrical distribution. But it knew the writing might be on the wall when the $122 million sci-fi movie "The Island" opened to just $12.2 million last weekend. Bruer said action movies do not seem to be resonating with moviegoers this summer.

"Stealth" stars Josh Lucas, Jessica Biel and "Ray" Oscar-winner Jamie Foxx as U.S. Navy pilots who must track down a rogue unmanned aircraft.

"The Island" fell three places to No. 7 with $5.6 million. Its 55 percent drop was the steepest in the top 10. The film was released domestically by DreamWorks SKG, which partnered on the production with Warner Bros.

With its better-than-expected $13.1 million opening, Warner Bros.' "Must Love Dogs" proved the power of counterprogramming. The romantic comedy stars Diane Lane and John Cusack as singles who must overcome various obstacles before they fall in love. Not surprisingly, 70 percent of the audience was female, the studio said.