Basic Instinct 2 is a flop, grosses $3.2 million

**teforde23** · April 2nd, 2006, 03:50 PM

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Ice Age: The Meltdown heated up the box office with a mammoth $70.5 million US weekend, while audiences gave the cold shoulder to Sharon Stone, whose Basic Instinct 2 debuted with a paltry $3.2 million.
The Ice Age sequel, from 20th Century Fox, took over the top box office spot from Universal's Inside Man, which slipped to No. 2 in its second weekend with $15.7 million, raising its 10-day total to $52.8 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Premiering in third place was the Warner Bros. roller-skating tale ATL, starring rapper Tip Harris, which took in $12.5 million.

Universal's Slither, starring Nathan Fillion in a horror comedy about killer slugs from outer space, flopped with $3.7 million, debuting at No. 8.

Sony's MGM release Basic Instinct 2, the belated sequel to the 1992 sex thriller that made Stone a star, tied for the No. 10 spot with Lionsgate's Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector, which took in $3.2 million in its second weekend.

The overall box office surged, with the top 12 movies grossing $136.5 million, up 40 per cent from the same weekend last year. The upswing followed a stagnant first quarter after a prolonged drought last year, when attendance fell eight per cent compared with 2004.

Ice Age: The Meltdown reunites Ray Romano, Denis Leary and John Leguizamo, now joined by Queen Latifah, as voices of prehistoric animals migrating to safety when global warming threatens to flood their home.

The sequel easily surpassed the $46.3 million opening weekend of the original Ice Age in 2002 and broke the record it held for best March opening ever. If the numbers hold when final figures are released Monday, it would tie The Incredibles for second-best animated debut behind the $108 million first weekend of Shrek 2.

"No one had any idea it would do this kind of business," said box office analyst Paul Dergarabedian of Exhibitor Relations, who had expected the Ice Age sequel to debut at about $55 million.

"The notion that people don't want to go to the movies is dispelled by something like this," he said. "It proves people will line up for the right movie if given the motivation."

Basic Instinct 2 features the sexual predator Stone played in the first movie in a new murder thriller in London as she plays mind games with her psychiatrist (David Morrissey).

Sony opened Basic Instinct 2 in just 1,453 theatres, a fairly small release for such a high-profile title. Ice Age: The Meltdown debuted in 3,964 theatres.

Critics savaged Basic Instinct 2, many finding its tale of erotic intrigue both laughable and dull. Sony held out hopes the movie would find an audience on DVD.

"I think it's a very sexy film, and Sharon Stone looks great and really worked the film," said Rory Bruer, Sony's head of distribution. "It's a movie that probably will have a very strong life in the home-video world."

**SVZ** · April 2nd, 2006, 04:01 PM

rofl, that's less than some people's salary

**LynnieD** · April 2nd, 2006, 04:17 PM

<---------is not surprised.

But I bet Sharon's had a hell of a lot of fun traveling the world promoting it! Kissing everyone and their sisters asses! Far too funny!! Far far far too funny.....yup.

**B.C.** · April 2nd, 2006, 04:50 PM

tee hee, Face it Sharon, gigs up. Seems she thought everyone would run to the movie to catch a glimpse of her naked broadcasting it like she did.

**CherryDarling** · April 2nd, 2006, 06:02 PM

I saw it y'all...just cuz I had to

It was really bad, so bad that I was laughing at points! She did look good in it though...and it didn't shock me all that much. It was just a bad movie.