Heroin pusher, honey bee lift box office
<center><img align="center" border="0" id="621496" md5="" sourcedescription="编辑提供的本地文件" sourcename="本地文件" src="http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/entertainment/2007-11/05/../../images/attachement/jpg/site1/20071105/000d60aa06df0898bef814.jpg" style="WIDTH: 379px; HEIGHT: 213px" title=""/></center><center>This photo provided by DreamWorks shows Barry B. Benson, right, voiced by Jerry Seinfeld, and Adam Flayman, left, voiced by Matthew Broderick in a scene from 'Bee Movie.' [Agencies]</center><p style="MARGIN: 0px 3px 15px"> </p><p style="MARGIN: 0px 3px 15px">A heroin pusher and a honey bee put some sting back into the movie business. Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe's bloody crime saga "American Gangster" took in $46.3 million to lead the weekend box office, with Jerry Seinfeld's family cartoon "Bee Movie" following with $39.1 million. Together, the movies revitalized Hollywood's listless autumn.</p><p style="MARGIN: 0px 3px 15px">"It took three of the biggest stars in the world to get the box office back>After six-straight weekends of declining revenues, overall business rose, with the top-12 movies taking in $127.2 million, up 12 percent from the same weekend last year, when "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan" was No. 1 with $26.5 million.</p><p style="MARGIN: 0px 3px 15px">Universal's "American Gangster," directed by Ridley Scott and starring Washngton as 1970s Harlem drug lord Frank Lucas and Crowe as a Jersey cop>Audiences had been relatively disinterested this fall in serious R-rated films aimed at adults. Many of those earlier movies were box-office underachievers despite critical praise, but "American Gangster" landed with both good reviews and packed theaters.</p><p style="MARGIN: 0px 3px 15px">Washington is known for heroic roles, yet as he did with his Oscar-winning turn as a bad cop in "Training Day," he imbues Lucas with charm and charisma even as the man carries out savage deeds.</p><p style="MARGIN: 0px 3px 15px">"American Gangster" was the biggest opening ever for the film's two stars. Crowe's previous best was $34.8 million for "Gladiator," also directed by Scott, while Washington's was $29 million for "Inside Man."</p><center> <span><img src="http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/entertainment/2007-11/05/../../../image/contentprev.gif" border="0"/></span> <span>1</span> <a href="http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/entertainment/2007-11/05/content_6230876_2.htm">2</a> <a href="http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/entertainment/2007-11/05/content_6230876_2.htm"><img src="http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/entertainment/2007-11/05/../../../image/contentnext.gif" border="0"/></a> <span><img src="http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/entertainment/2007-11/05/../../../image/contentprev.gif" border="0"/></span> <span>1</span> <a href="http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/entertainment/2007-11/05/content_6230876_2.htm">2</a> <a href="http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/entertainment/2007-11/05/content_6230876_2.htm"><img src="http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/entertainment/2007-11/05/../../../image/contentnext.gif" border="0"/></a> </center>