Nostalgia ruled the weekend as an adaptation of the 1980s television show '21 Jump Street' topped the weekend box-office chart, according to early studio estimates.

A $42 million co-production between Sony Corp.'s (6758.TO, SNE) Columbia Pictures and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., '21 Jump Street' grossed $35 million from 3,121 theaters over the weekend, exceedingstudio expectations.

The previous weekend's top-grossing movie, 'Dr. Seuss' The Lorax' dropped to second place in its third weekend of release. The $70 million animated film from Comcast Corp.'s (CMCSA, CMCSK) Universal Pictures took in $22.8 million from 3,769 theaters over the weekend, bringing its domestic cumulative gross to $158.4 million.

Walt Disney Co.'s (DIS) expensive sci-fi epic 'John Carter' grossed $13.5 million from 3,749 locations, a 55.2% drop from the previous weekend. The $250 million film has now earned a total of $53.2 million in the U.S. and Canada.

Internationally, the film is performing better and has grossed $126.1 million from 54 territories. This represents 92% of the international market.

The movie '21 Jump Street,' an R-rated comedy stars Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum as youthful-looking policemen who go undercover at a local high school, film appealed slightly more to a male audience, who made up 53% of ticket buyers. The picture's older source material helped attract an even split of older and younger viewers.

Rory Bruer, Sony's president of world-wide distribution, says the studio hosted a large number of 'word of mouth' screenings to increase awareness of the film and help younger audiences identify with the older property.

'The way the film was executed made it relevant for today's audiences,' he said.

The comedies 'Project X' from Time Warner Inc.'s (TWX) Warner Bros. Pictures, and 'A Thousand Words,' starring Eddie Murphy, from Viacom Inc.'s (VIA, VIAB) Paramount Pictures, rounded out the top five.

Hollywood is awaiting what it expects to be the first $100 million opening of 2012 with 'The Hunger Games,' based on a popular novel by Suzanne Collins, which hits theaters on Friday.

Michelle Kung

• columbia [kə´lʌmbiə]   n.哥伦比亚   (初中英语单词)
• previous [´pri:viəs]   a.先，前，以前的   (初中英语单词)
• release [ri´li:s]   vt&n.释放；放松；赦免   (初中英语单词)
• universal [,ju:ni´və:səl]   a.宇宙的；普遍的   (初中英语单词)
• domestic [də´mestik]   a.家庭的；本国的   (初中英语单词)
• expensive [ik´spensiv]   a.费钱的，昂贵的   (初中英语单词)
• international [,intə´næʃənəl]   a.国际的，世界的   (初中英语单词)
• slightly [´slaitli]   ad.轻微地；细长的   (初中英语单词)
• audience [´ɔ:diəns]   n.听众；观众；接见   (初中英语单词)
• distribution [,distri´bju:ʃən]   n.分配；分布(状态)   (初中英语单词)
• identify [ai´dentifai]   vt.认出；鉴定；验明   (初中英语单词)
• opening [´əupəniŋ]   n.开放；开端 a.开始的   (初中英语单词)
• hunger [´hʌŋgə]   n.饥饿；渴望   (初中英语单词)
• studio [´stju:diəu]   n.画室；照相室   (高中英语单词)
• comedy [´kɔmidi]   n.喜剧；喜剧场面   (高中英语单词)
• relevant [´relivənt]   a.有关的；中肯的   (高中英语单词)
• weekend [´wi:kend, ,wi:k´end]   n.周末休假   (英语四级单词)
• adaptation [ædæp´teiʃən]   n.适应；改写(本)   (英语四级单词)
• exceeding [ik´si:diŋ]   a.超越的，非常的   (英语四级单词)
• animated [´ænimeitid]   a.栩栩如生的；活跃的   (英语六级单词)
• paramount [´pærəmaunt]   a.最高的 n.元首   (英语六级单词)