DEAD RISES TO THE TOP OF THE BOX OFFICE

Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ finally vacated the top of the box office, as the Dawn of the Dead rose to #1. The remake of Dead took in $27.3 million its debut weekend, while The Passion brought in an additional $19.2 million. The Passion is now the 18th highest all-time grossing movie.

Also opening this weekend were Angelina Jolie and Ethan Hawke’s Taking Lives, which did $11.4 million and landed in third place, and Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet’s Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, opening in narrow release with $8.6 million at number six.

Here’s the rest of the Top 10: #4 Starsky &Hutch ($10.7m); #5 Secret Window ($9.6m); #7 Hidalgo ($8.5m); #8 Agent Cody Banks: Destination London ($6m); #9 50 First Dates ($4.3m); #10 Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen ($1.5m).