'Hide and Seek' finds spot at top of box office

LOS ANGELES -- Robert De Niro's fright flick "Hide and Seek" had a strong debut in its opening weekend, taking in $22 million to become the top movie and fending off a rush of Academy Awards contenders.

The previous weekend's No. 1 movie, Ice Cube's road-trip comedy "Are We There Yet?", slipped to second place with $17 million, lifting its 10-day total to $39.1 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

The weekend's only other new wide release, Tara Reid and Christian Slater's scary movie "Alone in the Dark," bombed with just $2.5 million, finishing well out of the top 10. Viciously trashed by critics, the movie stars Reid as an anthropologist and Slater as a paranormal investigator battling mutant monsters.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at North American theaters, according to Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc. Final figures will be released today.

1. "Hide and Seek," $22 million.

2. "Are We There Yet?", $17 million.

3. "Million Dollar Baby," $11.8 million.

4. "Coach Carter," $8 million.

5. "Meet the Fockers," $7.6 million.

6. "The Aviator," $7.5 million.

7. "Sideways," $6.3 million.

8. "In Good Company," $6.2 million.

9. "Racing Stripes," $6 million.

10. "Assault on Precinct 13," $4.2 million.