By Carl DiOrio

HOLLYWOOD (Variety) - Denzel Washington as a rogue L.A. cop proved an arresting combo as Warner Bros.' ``Training Day'' topped the box office competish with an estimated $24.2 million bow this weekend.

The performance represented Washington's biggest opening ever, besting the $20.9 million bow for gridiron drama ``Remember the Titans'' in September 2000.

The Miramax romantic comedy ``Serendipity'' finished No. 2 in the latest session with an estimated $14 million debut. Action suspenser ``Joy Ride'' from 20th Century Fox opened in fifth place with $7.4 million and Disney family comedy ``Max Keeble's Big Move'' unspooled in sixth with $5.5 million.

Weekend estimates for the latest session were bolstered by the prospect of strong Sunday grosses, with nearly half of U.S. and Canadian schools closed for Columbus Day Monday and many adults off from work. It wasn't immediately clear what the impact would be as prospective moviegoers became preoccupied Sunday with television coverage of the U.S. military action in Afghanistan.

Industrywide, the $93 million in estimated grosses represented a 6% uptick from the same frame a year ago, according to data from box office tracker ACNielsen EDI.

Gains were helped by sturdy sophomore-session performances from Fox suspenser ``Don't Say a Word,'' which finished No. 3 with $10 million; Paramount comedy ``Zoolander,'' No. 4 with $9.9 million; and Warners drama ``Hearts in Atlantis,'' No. 7 with $5.4 million.

EDI vice-president Dan Marks said the variety of openers also fueled business. ``It always helps when you have a weekend with pictures that appeal to different kinds of audiences,'' he said. ``It becomes a something-for-everyone kind of thing.''

In a year-to-date comparison, 2001 is now 9% ahead of the same period last year with $6.07 billion in total grosses, according to EDI data.

Despite gritty content, ``Training Day'' skewed 52% female and drew audiences comprised 70% of moviegoers 25 and older. The picture, which cost under $50 million to make, was co-produced by Village Roadshow and Warners and the partners will split box office evenly.

The ``Training Day'' premiere marked the second-biggest October bow ever after Universal comedy ``Meet the Parents,'' which opened in the same weekend last year at $28.6 million.

``The film performed extremely well in all markets, led by the biggest grosses coming from the biggest markets,'' Warners distribution president Dan Fellman said.

Topliner's marquee value was a big reason for the picture's success, he added.

``Denzel has an amazing ability to pick successful projects, and we all know his amazing ability,'' Fellman said. ``People really like to see him work.''

The Warners exec opined that the success of ``Training Day'' says more about the picture itself than about audiences' appetite for violent fare amid the current emotional times. ``Good movies rise to the occasion,'' Fellman observed.

Washington's appeal ``sets the movie apart from anything that might be considered exploitation,'' he added.

``Serendipity,'' produced for an estimated $28 million, skewed 60% female, with the same percentage falling in the 21-39 age range.

``The movie started off strong,'' Miramax marketing VP David Kaminow said. ``And we know we have a good word of mouth movie.''

``Joy Ride'' was a New Regency production for which Fox is getting only a distribution fee, as with ``Don't Say a Word.'' The Leelee Sobieski starrer opened to audiences comprised 56% of femmes and 66% of moviegoers younger than 25.

``I'm pleased that it was sampled enough where word of mouth can have some effect,'' Fox distribution president Bruce Snyder said.

``Max Keeble,'' produced for an estimated $12 million, targeted family demos. But the weekend performance fell at the low end of expectations.

Among limited bows, Sony Classics' music documentary ``Grateful Dawg'' grossed $15,200 in three L.A. and Bay Area theaters. That represented a solid $5,066 per venue a week before the picture expands to Gotham and some other cities.

MGM was pleased with 1,000 sneaks of ``Bandits,'' a heist laffer starring Bruce Willis, Billy Bob Thornton and Cate Blanchett. The picture --which opens wide next weekend along with Disney's ``Corky Romano'' comedy -- drew a core audience aged 25-34, with sneaks skewing 52% male.

Reuters/Variety REUTERS

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Following are the final data for the top 10 movies at the North American box office during the October 5-7 weekend, according to studio figures released Monday by Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc.

Film Three-day Cumulative

Title Gross Gross

1. Training Day .......... $22,550,788

BOX OFFICE SO FAR: $22,550,788

2. Serendipity .......... $13,309,241

BOX OFFICE SO FAR: $13,309,241

3. Don't Say A Word .......... $9,766,100

BOX OFFICE SO FAR: $31,933,981

4. Zoolander .......... $9,518,273

BOX OFFICE SO FAR: $28,338,825

5. Joy Ride .......... $7,347,259

BOX OFFICE SO FAR: $7,347,259

6. Max Keeble's Big Move .......... $5,377,958

BOX OFFICE SO FAR: $5,377,958

7. Hearts in Atlantis .......... $5,024,920

BOX OFFICE SO FAR: $16,443,261

8. Hardball .......... $3,566,255

BOX OFFICE SO FAR: $30,623,626

9. The Others .......... $2,848,616

BOX OFFICE SO FAR: $90,573,083

10. Rush Hour 2 .......... $1,724,118

BOX OFFICE SO FAR: $221,526,192

Reuters/Variety REUTERS

John L.: Due to serious computer problems only the slimmest of movie reviews will be posted until the beginning of the year 2002. Sorry.

Denzel plays a crooked cop who feels he is doing what he has to do to keep the streets safe, but underestimates the new guy he has to train to work the hardest of beats. Washington gives one of his better "mainstream movie" performances here and the movie is pretty exciting. The Russian subplot and the ending are a bit stupid, but the whole psycho drama between Washington and Ethan Hawke is enthralling. This may be the first time Washington is considered for an Oscar for a movie that is more popcorn than historical like his Malcolm X and Hurricane Carter roles. Final Review: 3 1/2 stars out of 5; 7 out of 10; B; thumbs up.