RalphMalphFan007's Holly-palooza-wood Gossip of 10/9 ( read!!!!)

[Cactus Jack]

School of Rock was at the head of the class this weekend.

Jack Black's star turn, as a metalhead turned rockin' substitute teacher, struck a tune with audiences, debuting with $19.6 million as the new number one movie, according to final studio tallies Monday.

Hailed by critics, Black's riotous comedy beat out Denzel Washington's latest star turn, as a police chief suspected of murder in the thriller Out of Time, which debuted in second place with $16.2 million.

School of Rock, a PG-13 Paramount release, opened in 2,614 sites and averaged $7,507 per screen. The studio said the comedy attracted a broad audience, evenly split between male and female and the over- and under-25 demographics. This made for good business, if not exactly record-setting; School registered the fifth-best ever October opening on a list topped by Red Dragon, the Hannibal-the-cannibal prequel that debuted with $36.5 million this time last year.

Out of Time, an R-rated MGM release that many critics found flat, opened in 3,076 sites, where it averaged $5,527 per.

The new arrivals pushed last week's chart toppers down. The Rock's action caper The Rundown crumbled 48 percent, earning $9.7 million at 3,154 sites, two more than its debut week. The Universal release has now grossed $32.6 million. Meanwhile, Diane Lane's Under the Tuscan Sun dropped only 21 percent as it picked up 471 more screens to earn $7.7 million at 1,697 sites. The Disney drama has now grossed $20.7 million.

Lost in Translation continued to find an audience. Sofia Coppola's fish-out-water comedy starring Bill Murray as a disillusioned movie star expanded into 376 more theaters and climbed from 10th last week to seventh this weekend. The R-rated Focus Feature release was the only top 10 holdover to actually post a gain, up 13 percent to earn $4.2 million at 864 sites. It has grossed $14 million in four weeks of release.

In limited release, the top dollars this weekend were pulled in by Wonderland, the drug-and-murder Hollywood tale starring Val Kilmer as fallen big porn star John "Johnny Wad" Holmes. At just five sites, the R-rated Lions Gate release earned $91,798 from an $18,360 per-screen average. The Station Agent, Miramax's tale of unique friendships starring Peter Dinklage, Bobby Cannavale and Patricia Clarkson, was able to boast a slightly better average, with $19,262 per at three sites for a total of $57,785.

At nine sites, The Event wasn't much of one. Averaging just $3,898, the ThinkFilm release about an AIDS' victim's apparent assisted suicide, starring Olympia Dukakis, Sarah Polley, Parker Posey, Brent Carver and Don McKellar, earned $35,082.

Overall business was up a smidgen--1 percent--from last weekend, but down quite a bit--20 percent--from this time last year. Box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations reports the total weekend take for the top 12 movies was $80.6 million.

AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!, THey deserved it, thism ovie rocked

I got a song about Ben and J Lo to do, Zac, Freddie, Dewey, other members of School of rock, could ya accompany meo n this one?

[Lucylover22]

I really want to see School of Rock...