Bringing Down the House brought down huge box office receipts.
The comedy starring Queen Latifah and Steve Martin took in $31.7 million to debut as the weekend's No. 1 film. It was the third-biggest March opening ever, behind the 2002 releases Ice Age and Blade 2, and the strongest opening ever for a Martin film.
Despite being panned by critics, Bringing Down the House drew huge audiences. The movie averaged $11,317 per theater.
The Bruce Willis war movie Tears of the Sun took in $17.2 million to open at No. 2. It took in $5,785 per theater playing to audiences that were 61% male.
Last weekend's No. 2 film, Old School, dropped to No. 3 with $9.2 million. Chicago stayed strong in its 11th weekend, taking in $6.9 million for the No. 4 spot.