LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The romantic comedy "How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days" overcame a critical drubbing to win the top slot at the North American weekend box office, with the third-best opening for a February release, according to studio estimates issued Sunday.

The film, which stars Kate Hudson as a magazine columnist who finds and tries to repulse a boyfriend (Matthew McConaughey), sold $24.1 million worth of tickets for the three days beginning Feb. 7. Only "Hannibal" ($58 million in 2001) and "Scream 3" ($34.7 million in 2000) have opened stronger in February.

Two other films opened in the top 10, the comedy sequel "Shanghai Knights," starring Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson, bowed at No. 2 with $19.8 million. And "Deliver Us From Eva," an urban romantic comedy marking the first leading man turn for rapper LL Cool J, opened at No. 6 with $7.1 million.

Last weekend's No. 1, the Al Pacino spy thriller "The Recruit" fell to No. 4 with $9.5 million. Its 10-day total rose to $30.1 million.

The weekend also saw the wide expansion of acclaimed musical "Chicago," which jumped two places to No. 3 with $10.7 million. After seven weeks in release, the Renee Zellweger-Richard Gere film has grossed $63.7 million, and is considered a likely frontrunner when Academy Award nominations are announced Tuesday morning in Los Angeles.

Rounding out the top five was the thriller "Final Destination 2," which fell three places to No. 5 with $8.7 million in its second weekend. Its total rose to $28.1 million.

"GUY" SAVES THE DAY

The strong opening for "How To Lose A Guy in 10 Days" comes at a good time for the film's distributor, Paramount Pictures, a unit of Viacom Inc. After a lackluster spell at the box office -- Paramount's last No. 1 was "Jackass: The Movie" during the last weekend of October -- Hollywood's gossip machine has been predicting the demise of the studio's top brass.

Going into the weekend, the studio had hoped for an opening in the $18 million-$20 million range, said Paramount distribution president Wayne Lewellen. He attributed the film's performance to word-of-mouth from sneak previews, the on-screen chemistry between Hudson and McConaughey, and enthusiastic publicity efforts by the stars.

Critics were less than impressed, though. The Wall Street Journal said it was "unfathomable," while the Los Angeles Times said the film felt 10 days long.

"Shanghai Knights," in which Chan and Wilson play mismatched buddies on the trail of a renegade royal in Victorian England, met expectations, said Chuck Viane, president of domestic distribution at Walt Disney Co.

Reuters/Variety

LOS ANGELES(Reuters) - Following are the final data for the top 10 movies at the North American box office during the Feb. 7-9 weekend, according to studio figures released Monday by Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc.

Film Three-day Cumulative

1. How To Lose A Guy in 10 Days .......... $23,774,850

BOX OFFICE SO FAR: $23,774,850

2. Shanghai Knights .......... $19,603,630

BOX OFFICE SO FAR: $19,603,630

3. Chicago .......... $10,786,533

BOX OFFICE SO FAR: $63,803,153

4. The Recruit .......... $9,226,419

BOX OFFICE SO FAR: $29,822,115

5. Final Destination 2 .......... $8,389,650

BOX OFFICE SO FAR: $27,876,495

6. Deliver Us From Eva .......... $6,648,374

BOX OFFICE SO FAR: $6,648,374

7. Kangaroo Jack .......... $6,105,250

BOX OFFICE SO FAR: $53,035,263

8. Biker Boyz .......... $4,233,485

BOX OFFICE SO FAR: $16,017,600

9. Darkness Falls .......... $3,820,366

BOX OFFICE SO FAR: $26,806,695

10. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers .......... $3,516,739

BOX OFFICE SO FAR: $320,857,049

Reuters/Variety

John L.: I am shocked that How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days is the number one movie this week. I had no idea that it could take that long to dump a guy. Plus, Kate Hudson is one of the least appealing actresses out there who seems to appeal to a lot of people who don't actually go see her movies. It seems that that movie has lucked out by being released around Valentines Day. Here is how you can "lose a guy" in about 10 seconds. All the woman has to say is "you have a small penis, leave me alone" and the guy will leave in shame. The movie has the premise of a beer commercial, and still makes over $23 million. Unbelievable. Deliver Us From Eva has a similar premise with less known stars, even though L. L. has a pretty good following. This movie deals with a bet about how to dump a shrewish bitch, but the twist is the guy trying to win the bet actually falls for the shrew. Oh what to do. I hate bet romantic comedies. After "She's All That" the genre should have ended. Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson were predicted by many to be in the number one film this week, but their Shanghai Knights couldn't cross the magic $20 million number. I guess Wilson is no Chris Tucker.

The Oscar nominations came out this week and Chicago is the front runner with 13 picks. I hated that movie and it will probably win Best Picture. Jack Nicholson was nominated for his work in About Schmidt, and that sucks too. Where are the handicapped roles that always used to win? The Razzies were announced as well and it looks to be a war between Swept Away and The Adventures of Pluto Nash. Look for a tie.

SHANGHAI KNIGHTS - FULL REVIEW

Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson have returned by the grace of home video and cable television as Chon Wang (mispronounced John Wayne) and Roy O'Bannon in the sequel to "Shanghai Noon," called surprisingly enough, Shanghai Knights. The first movie was a mildly entertaining old west adventure romp that had Jackie trying to save Princess Pei Pei (Lucy Lui) while not letting Wilson mess things up too badly. The action was pretty tamed even compared to the Rush Hour movies, but the film was harmless enough and has made enough money to warrant a sequel. Shanghai Knights is a mixture of Chan's Rush Hour movies and Wilson's last film, "I Spy." In fact there are several scenes ripped directly from those films. The plot of Knights is that Wang's father is murdered and the Chinese Seal he protected has been stolen, so Wang sets out on finding the murderer and recovering the seal. Wang hooks up with O'Bannon and they travel to jolly old England where the murderer and the conspiracy are coming together. A few steps ahead of them in the investigation is Wang's sister, Chon Lin (Fann Wong) who was there when their father was killed. Through Wong and Lin's martial arts skills, and O'Bannon's witty banter, they fight off the bad guys and save the Royal Family. Oops, did I give away the whole story? Probably, but the plot is just an excuse to build chemistry between Chan and Wilson because it is all about the jokes. I have to say that I liked Shanghai Knights more than Shanghai Noon. This movie movies quicker, has better fight scenes, and is funnier than the first. There are no wasted scenes of nude Chinese Patty Cake in the tub like the last time. This time, when they are nekkid, their are some nice whores around so they can pillow fight. When Chan does Hollywood type movies, they always team him up with some crazy person like Chris Tucker or Jennifer Love Hewitt. Jackie still has trouble witha da English, so the sidekick is needed to translate or speak for him. Fortunately, you don't watch a Jackie Chan flick to hear him read the New York Times. Chan is still held back from the intensity of this Hong Kong fare, but the Singing in the Rain and clock tower battles are some of the better Americanized Jackie fight sequences ever. I always enjoy the way he uses props against his foes. The best use of them was how he stopped the guys in the treasure room from destroying the vases. Owen Wilson is funny as Roy, but he needs to change his act because practically every line he had in this film good easily be transported over to his I Spy movie. There is very little attempt to make the O'Bannon character seem that he is living in 1887. He talks more like it's 1987 with his "dude speak." For example, when it suddenly rains in England, he goes "this country blows." The other problem I have is that O'Bannon never gets to really fight anyone. He sort of just runs around aimlessly while Jackie takes all of the big bumps. He clotheslines one bad guy, and then nothing else. His character has so little to do, he could warrant third billing behind Fann Wong. Miss Wong, or is it Miss Fann, must have gotten a hold of some good Exlax and put it in Shang Ziyi's apple juice since Ziyi must have been sick the day they were casting for Jackie Chan's sister. Fann has a great look and looks great kicking people in the head, but it is quite unsettling to see her after seeing the same routines done in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Rush Hour 2. It was obviously the intention of the filmmakers to make her like those characters in the other movies. Fann vs Zhang would be a good fight though. It is too bad Fann did not have more fight scenes as hers are very quick and short. American movies rarely have long fight sequences while the Asian films have them go on forever it seems. I like mine a little longer especially when the main combatant is as good looking as Fann Wong. The villains in the movie Rathbone and Wu Chan (Aiden Gillen and Donnie Yen) are okay and are hissable, but still a bit underused. Gillen gets the most screen time, but all I can remember is his odd little Superman spit curl. Donnie Yen continues to be wasted in American films. He never ever gets to show his stuff in Western film and it drives me crazy. Highlander 4, Blade II, and now Shanghai Knights have all done their best to ruin his rep. I guess I have to go watch Iron Monkey again. Shanghai Knights is pure entertainment without any message or deep thoughts to intrude in the action. If you liked the first movie, enjoy Jackie Chan choreography, and laugh at more than Owen Wilson's very crooked nose, then you will enjoy Shanghai Knights. Final Review: 3 stars out of 5; 6 1/2 out of 10; B-; thumbs up. When "Shanghai Dawn" is made, I hope Wilson gets to fight more and they bring in Zhang Ziyi to fight Fann Wong. Hooo baby.

I like musicals. I really do. When done well, they are fun to watch. Back in the day, musicals and westerns were the norm. For some reason, musicals and westerns went out of favor with the public and became more rare. Musicals became more like louder soundtracks like Footlose and The Blues Brothers and westerns decided to be more politically correct like Silverado. Westerns have leveled off and one usually comes out every 3 or 4 months, but the only true musicals that make it to theaters are cartoons mostly produced by the Walt Disney Company. Baz Luhrman made Moulin Rouge and it was a modest success that seems to have inspired the makers of Chicago to go ahead and film the Broadway stage play. To most people, it seems, Chicago is one of the best movies of the year and is sure to get several Oscar nominations and win some too. The choreography, the singing, the dancing, the set design, the acting, the charm, the music, and the script have all been praised by critics and average movie goers alike. Rene, Catherine, and Richard all did their own singing and dancing. Take that Audrey. The end credits made it a point to highlight that fact. Knowing that it is all Zellwegger, Zeta-Jones-Douglas, and Gere up there clowning around is not a positive selling point to me. Going against the masses, I will say that Chicago: The Movie was a very unpleasant experience for me. The music was uninspired and obvious, the dancing was blah, and there was no real acting to speak of since there was no story to act to. The plot is similar to the old Bette Davis/Anne Baxter movie "All About Eve" in that there is this young aspiring performer Roxie (Rene Zellwegger) who idolizes the dish of the day, Velma (Catherine Zeta-Jones-Douglas). She wants to be her and be a star. Hoo haa. Unfortunately, both Roxie and Velma come across some bad luck when they both get involved in unrealted murders that put them both into Chained Heatsville. But the ambitions of 2 self absorbed idiots will not let a hangman's noose stop them from becoming the most famous people in Cook County Illinois. Nosirree. They both use their criminal fame to further their Vaudevillian aspirations, especially Roxie who has somehow attracted quite the media following. Roxie and Velma have their allies in jail. Two in fact. The first is Matron "Mama" Morton (Dana "Queen Latifah" Owens) as the head Corrections Officer of the prison who is willing to help the girls out with various favors in return, mostly monetary, but with hints of sexual satisfaction when necessary. Their other ally is Billy Flynn (Richard Gere), Attorney at Law. He's what Robin Williams called a "mother fucker lawyer" in Cadillac Man. He has never lost a case and will not let his clients rot in prison. The whole movie then revolves around how Roxie manipulates the town of Chicago into loving her despite the fact that she is a lying mid talent who might be good enough to understudy an understudy. This tale is told through several different musical numbers that help flesh out the story and get into the minds of those performing the acts. And thus begins my main criticism of the movie. I have never seen the play live, but forget that. I will just judge what I saw on screen and the biggest flaw with the movie is that the musical numbers do not take place within the context of the main story. For example, Flynn has a press conference with Roxie and instead of singing the song about how he is a puppeteer controlling the strings in a musical bit live, they cut to a theater where they perform the number separately from the main scene so you get these odd intercuts of outside a courthouse inside a stage theater. Musicals have trouble with their odd reality enough and sending it to a tangential one makes it worse. Mama Morton introduces herself to the inmates and instead of singing right there in the jail, we cut to Latifah's bosoms singing about what a good lay she is. I prefer it when the people sing in the regular setting and not the contrived one. The songs in the movie are not very good. The "All That Jazz" number that opens the movie repeats the same lyric "all that jazz" 21 times. Made me want to break out my old punk rock records. I can see that everyone worked hard on the movie to do the best they can to make the material work, but it was just not good enough. The casting here is a problem because the main actors are too identifiable in other roles. Zeta-Jones-Douglas has a good dancer's body, but her singing is forced and she tries to hard to be dramatic. She acts like she really is on a Broadway stage where you have to project yourself more so the cheap seats can get the full effect. Her sneers and growling like looks are a bit unsettling. If she had taken it down a couple of notches, then it would have worked. Zellwegger is okay and has a decent look that fits the 1920s time period of the movie, but her squinty, pouty, punched in the kisser look has bothered me since Jerry Maguire and it does her no favors here. The problem with Roxie is that the movie jumps too quickly into the murder plot before you get to care about her quest to be a star. You see Roxie go ga ga over Velma one minute and then the next second someone has been shot dead. About 10 extra minutes of Roxie always coming in second or not coming anywhere near Velma's fame would have helped establish their rivalry that just happens for no apparent reason. The movie is relatively short and an extra 10 or even 15 minutes to flesh out these roles could have helped a lot. When Roxie is arrested, I don't care. I know I am supposed to, but it just never happened for me. I did care about Roxie's husband Amos (John C. Reilly) who is excellent. His sad sack love for Roxie is touching and I felt for the dude. You actually get enough screen time to care about his problems. My favorite moment is when he is trying to protect Roxie from being arrested and then learns the truth. Good scene for him, but bad for Roxie/Zellwegger since it makes the lead character too unsympathetic too soon and she never gets that sympathy back. Richard Gere plays the same lawyer he always plays such as the one in Primal Fear. Only difference is that Billy Flynn sings and tap dances through life. Seeing Gere sing and dance was a bit alarming. He is adequate, but nothing spectacular. His acting is good, but I was not a fan of his vocals. Tap Dance was his best number since his singing was not the focus of the bit. Latifah is pretty good, but her role is a bit confusing. She comes out as a hard ass at first, and then she automatically coddles to the inmates like they are her best friends. Poor writing. I would suggest that this female rapper try making a more traditional pop album, since she does have a decent singing voice without all of the U. N. I. T. Y lyrical constraints. If I had seen this live on stage, it would be more tolerable, but as a movie its slight plot and just okay music hurt it as being something special. See it if you like non sensical musicals and want to see what all of the Golden Globe and Oscar hype is all about. My suggestion is rent My Fair Lady and Blues Brothers. They are much better musicals than this creative mess. Final Review: 2 stars out of 5; 4 1/2 out of 10; C; thumbs down.

REST OF THE TOP 10 IN 10: 

1.    With the combined box office of How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days and Almost Famous, Kate Hudson has now outgrossed the last 10 Goldie Hawn movies combined.

2.    I just cannot stand the "I'll bet you that I can date this person and not fall in love with them, but then find out they are my soul mate" plots romantic comedies love to be.

3.    The way to lose a GIRL in 10 seconds is to go up to her say she has a dumpy ass and that dress makes her look fat.

4.    The Recruit is now trying to recruit more people to the theater to see it.

5.    Final Destination 2 is a fun movie, but its lack of having any real reason to exist since there were so few unanswered questions when the first one ended hurts it from earning anywhere near what part one did.

6.    Gabrielle Union is quite attractive and it is hoped by me that one day she will get that role that deliver the goods and deliver her away from box office success.

7.    Anthony Anderson is another guy who has the potential to be hugely popular  and do better than waiting for the script to Kanagroo Jack 2 to come across his desk.

8.    Laurence Fishburne isn't sweating the weak box office of Biker Boyz since the Matrix sequels will soon dominate all that we know.

9.    Hopefully Emma Caufield did not think that Darkness Falls would give her the acting spark that would get her off the show as the vengeance demon Anya on Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

10.    Looks like The Two Towers is finally headed out of the top ten with a higher gross than The Fellowship of the Ring.

The first of 3 huge Marvel Superhero movies comes out next week, Daredevil starring Ben Affleck as the blind vigilante.  I pray it does not suck since Daredevil is one of the most original heroes ever created.  Bye for now.