I Robot
Box Office

Will Smith's 'I, Robot' Debuts at No. 1
Sunday July 18 8:07 PM ET

Will Smith has the summer crowd well programmed. Smith's sci-fi thriller "I, Robot" was his latest No. 1 July debut, opening with $52.25 million and bumping "Spider-Man 2" from the top spot at the weekend box office, according to studio estimates Sunday.

If the numbers hold when final figures are released Monday, "I, Robot" would be Smith's best debut ever, coming in just ahead of "Independence Day," "Men in Black" and "Men in Black II," all July premieres that opened in the $50 million to $52 million range.

"My God, this guy opens movies," said Bruce Snyder, head of distribution at 20th Century Fox, which released "I, Robot." "He's just so likable, he takes something like science fiction, which can be a little cold, and he makes it warm and entertaining."

After two weekends in first place, "Spider-Man 2" slipped to No. 2 with $24.2 million, lifting its total domestic haul to $301.7 million after just 19 days. The movie crossed the $300 million mark three days faster than the original "Spider-Man," according to distributor Sony.

The weekend's other new wide release, Hilary Duff's romance "A Cinderella Story," premiered in third place with $13.8 million. Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11" held on at No. 5 with $7 million, raising its domestic total to $93.8 million. Moore's assault on President Bush over the Sept. 11 attacks has become the undisputed box-office champ among documentaries, passing the $84.4 million domestic haul of the IMAX film "Everest."

"I, Robot," inspired by the short-story collection of Isaac Asimov, stars Smith as a police detective in 2035 who suspects a robot has committed a murder.

Along with the "Men in Black" movies and "Independence Day," "I, Robot" joins "Wild Wild West" and last year's "Bad Boys II" in Smith's string of summer smashes.

"He's Mr. July," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations. "He's the perfect summer action star. He's a guy who seems like somebody fun to hang out with, but you know the guy can kick some butt when he has to."

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at North American theaters, according to Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc. Final figures will be released Monday.

1. "I, Robot," $52.25 million.

2. "Spider-Man 2," $24.2 million.

3. "A Cinderella Story," $13.8 million

4. "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy," $13.4 million.

 5. "Fahrenheit 9/11," $7 million.

6. "King Arthur," $6.9 million.

7. "The Notebook," $5.45 million.

8. "White Chicks," $3.4 million.

9. "Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story," $3.2 million.

10. "The Terminal," $3.1 million.

Date	Placement	Weekend gross	% change	No. of theaters	Per theater average	Weeks in Release	Total gross
7/16-7/19	1	52,179,887		3,420	15,257	1	52,179,887
7/23-7/25	2	21,728,525	-58	3,494	6,219	2	95,123,749
7/ 30-8/1	4	10,355,190	-52	3,204	3,232	3	115,039,036
8/6-8/8	6	6.516,075	-37	2,806	2,322	4	126,922,313
18/13-8/15	8	3,866,317	-41	2,178	1,775	5	133,967,480
8/20-8/22	13	2,408,877	-38	1,609	1,497	6	138,292,990
8/27-8/29	18	1,256,914	-48	1,003	1,253	7	140,549,286
9/3-9/5	21	920,571	-27	551	1,671	8	141,886,658
9/10-9/12		gross	-?	181	ave	9	???,???,???
9/17-9/19		gross	-?	181	ave	10	???,???,???
9/24-9/26		gross	-?	181	ave	11	???,???,???
10/7	9			253		12	143,858,454
10/13	27	166,164	-14	208	799	13	144,494,901
10/20						14
10/27	29	gross	-?	181	ave	15	144,???,???
11/2	31	85,442	-38	152	562	16?	144,368,486
11/9	31	92,706	+9	140	662	17?	144,494,901