'Superbad' rushes to super spot at US box off

LOS ANGELES, Aug 20 (Reuters) Raunchy coming-of-age comedy ''Superbad'' topped the weekend North American box office and broke the record for a movie opening in late August, according to studio estimates.

''Superbad'' grossed 31.2 million dollars, breaking a 12-year-old record for movies that opened after August 15, said Rory Bruer, president of distribution for Sony Pictures.

The film about two nerdy high school buddies looking for for booze and girls unseated last week's top earner, ''Rush Hour 3,'' a buddy film about two hapless cops.

''Rush Hour 3'' came in second with 21.8 million dollars for New Line Cinema, down 49 per cent from its opening weekend. It has grossed a total of 88.2 million dollars since its debut on August 10.

''Superbad'' displaced ''Mortal Kombat'' as the top money maker film to debut after August 15, according to Bruer. ''Mortal Kombat'' opened on August 18, 1995, and grossed 23 million dollars in its first weekend.

''Superbad,'' made by Sony unit Columbia Pictures, cost 20 million dollars to make, Bruer said, adding, ''This movie is going to be around a while. ... This movie will play well into the fall.'' ''Superbad'' is the second blockbuster in a row for producer Judd Apatow and its co-writer/star Seth Rogen. Apatow directed this summer's surprise hit comedy, ''Knocked Up,'' while Rogen starred in it.

Coming in third was ''The Bourne Ultimatum,'' the latest installment in the espionage-action Jason Bourne series. It took in 19 million dollars in its third week of release.

Fourth was animated feature ''The Simpsons Movie'' at .7 million.

''The Invasion,'' starring Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig, rounded out the top five for the weekend. The new arrival took in 6 million dollars for Warner Brothers.

'HAIRSPRAY' OVER 100 MILLION DOLLARS ''Stardust,'' a fantasy film starring Claire Danes, grossed 5.2 million dollars for the Number six spot on the box office charts.

At Number 7 and topping the 100 million dollars mark in total gross earnings was ''Hairspray,'' which opened on July 20. The film is derived from John Waters' quirky 1988 film and a 2002 Broadway musical. It stars Michelle Pfeiffer and a cross-dressing John Travolta.

''Hairspray'' took in 33 per cent less over the weekend than last weekend, which was the lowest drop-off for movies in the Top 10 list.

Number 8 was Walt Disney Co.'s ''Underdog,'' which took in 3.6 million dollars in its third week of release.

Dropping 35 percent to No. 9 but still strong at 3.5 million dollars was ''Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,'' which has brought in 9 million in six weeks on the wide screens.

It was released by Warner Brothers, a unit of Time Warner Inc.

''I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry,'' released by Universal Pictures, a unit of General Electric Co.'s NBC Universal Inc., came in 10th at 3.5 million dollars.

''Superbad'' producer Columbia Pictures is a division of Sony Corp. unit Sony Pictures Entertainment.

''Rush Hour 3'' was released by New Line Cinema, a unit of Time Warner Inc..

''The Bourne Ultimatum'' was released by Universal Pictures.

''The Simpsons Movie'' was released by 20th Century Fox, a unit of News Corp..

It was the sixth straight weekend that the overall North American gross sales were higher than corresponding weeks from 2006, according to Media by Numbers. Overall sales in the 33 weeks of 2007 now stand at .5 billion, up from 6.1 billion dollars a year ago.

Reuters CS VP0440