DRAGON CANNIBALIZING
BOX OFFICE TAKE

Red Dragon, the third thriller starring Anthony Hopkins as serial killer Hannibal Lecter, was the No. 1 movie for a second week, taking in $17.6 million and squashing a slew of debut films.

Reese Witherspoon's Sweet Home Alabama also stood strong, holding on to second place with $14.1 million.

Brown Sugar, starring Taye Diggs and Sanaa Lathan, was the strongest of six new wide releases, debuting at No. 3 with $11.1 million.

Among the other new movies, The Transporter, opened in fourth place with $9.2 million; White Oleander came in seventh with $5.7 million; Tuck Everlasting was No. 8 with $5.5 million; Knockaround Guys was ninth with $5 million; and The Rules of Attraction was No. 12 with $2.4 million.

Adam Sandler's Punch-Drunk Love, written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, had a fantastic opening in limited release. The film took in $380,000 at just five theaters in New York City, Los Angeles and Toronto, an average of $76,000 a cinema.

Comparatively, Madonna's new romance Swept Away, directed by her husband, Guy Ritchie, bombed with $375,000 at 196 theaters, averaging $1,913. The movie was slammed by critics.