The horror sequel The Ring Two, directed by Hideo Nakata, director of the original Japanese cult horror film Ringu, topped the weekend box office with an estimated $36 million.  The Ring Two did considerably better than the American adaptation of The Ring, which earned $15 million when it debuted in October 2002.   The Ring Two averaged $10,804 per location, a performance that tops any of this year's other horror films including Bogeyman, Constantine, White Noise or Hide and Seek. Dark Horse Comics publishes a manga based on the cult hit Ring property.

 

Last week's box office winner, the CGI animated feature Robots, dropped only 40% and earned an estimated $21.8 million.  Robots is still a good 23% behind director Chris Wedge's first animated feature, Ice Age.  Constantine fell to the tenth position on this weekend's chart, earning $2.3 million and bringing its cumulative to $70.4 million.

 

Katsuhiro Otomo's Steamboy, the most expensive animated feature ever made outside the United States, opened in 39 theaters and could only manage a $3846 per location average -- a mediocre performance for a film in such limited release.