The Perfect Box Office

George Clooney kicked Mel Gibson's butt this 4th of July weekend - at the box office, anyway. US audiences flocked to see George and Mark Wahlberg battle the waves in The Perfect Storm, which took a whopping $41.7 million. The sea-faring flick is second only to Mission: Impossible 2 for a three-day weekend opening this year, and is the third biggest 4th of July release ever - after Men In Black and Independence Day. The Perfect Storm went head to head with Mel Gibson's American revolution epic The Patriot, but there was no contest. While it was thought that there would be a bloody battle for box office receipts, in reality The Patriot only made about half as much, taking $21.7 million. Mel's movie, at over two and a half hours long and with an R rating, seems to be less appealing to audiences than George's FX-laden effort. But Gibson can comfort himself with the fact that, as Chicken Run is at number three, he's starring in two of the top three movies of the week!