American Pie 2: Served hot...

Arthur J Pais

American teenagers laughed themselves silly over tantric sex jokes in American Pie 2, helping the good-natured comedy about raunchy teenagers earn a stupendous $ 45 million.

Last week’s champion, Rush Hour 2, another teen favourite, lost a lot of steam but still managed to gross an impressive $ 31 million, taking its total to $ 133 million.

It will undoubtedly surpass the $ 150 million grossed by the original Rush Hour.

This sequel starring Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan, could comfortably mint $ 200 million in North America.

The first American Pie had grossed $ 110 million in America and over $ 100 million worldwide. Pie 2 is predicted to earn at least $ 130 million in America, within its first six weeks.

American Pie 2's $ 30 million budget was double that of the original. But the flick is expected to be one of the most profitable films of the year.

Ashok Amritraj’s Original Sin, co-produced with MGM, is fast fading. The steamy melodrama had a disappointing opening. The second week saw it slip down by 52 per cent, with only a $ 3 million collection.

Among the top five films this week is the G-rated The Princess Diaries, which has already raked in $ 51 million and is inching its way towards the $ 100 million mark. This is Julie Andrews' biggest hit in the past 20 years.

Diaries, which was the third highest grossing film in America last weekend, has also produced a new sensation: Anne Hathaway, who plays the 15-year-old girl groomed to be a princess.

Nicole Kidman, whose Moulin Rouge has become a modest hit in America with about $ 55 million gross, received praise for her work in the supernatural thriller, The Others, which opened with a pleasing $ 13.7 million.

The movie is playing in about 1,600 theatres, a modest number compared to the nearly 4,000 movie houses that are baking American Pie 2.

Encouraged by the critical support and audience enthusiasm, distributor Miramax has announced it would add 500 more theatres the coming weekend.