De Niro Steals Pole At Box Office

Last in the news for his unusual haircut, Robert De Niro's presence in the headlines this week is for a far greater cause - his new film Analyze This, topped the weekend North American box office bankings with studio estimates of $17.7 million. The Warner Bros. Mafia comedy co-stars Billy Crystal as a psychiatrist to stressed out gangster De Niro, a role not unbeknown to De Niro but with humour, certainly treading on new ground. Critics have so far found for the flick, with only a couple of bad reviews amid a flurry of mixed opinions. This is still good news for De Niro however, trouncing his last box-office debut with the below-par Ronin, which reached only $12.7 million in its first weekend in September last year. Second place in the weekend league was filled by another newcomer, Cruel Intentions, a renewed Dangerous Liaisons for a teenage audience which has so far found mixed reviews. Amassing a $13.2 million fortune for Columbia Pictures, the film stars Ryan Phillippe, his newly pregnant real-life girlfriend Reese Witherspoon and Sarah Michelle Gellar. With Columbia shelling out just $11 million in production costs, the film has followed firmly in the profitable trend of captivating a younger audience - though due to its nature, the film was recently attacked by Aaron Spelling - himself a major player in the teen-factory - incredibly for being too near the mark.