 Jack Nicholson (l) and Matt Damon (r) star in Scorsese's (c) drama |
Martin Scorsese has achieved his best takings for an opening weekend in North American cinemas, as his mob drama The Departed debuted at number one. It generated $27m (�14.4m), beating the prequel of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre into second place on $19.1m (�10.2m).
Animated comedy Open Season fell from top to third, earning $16m (�8.6m).
The Departed's cast, which includes Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon and Jack Nicholson, was "the deciding factor" in its success, Warner Bros said.
"We had a special film here. We had the cast to drive it that way, and it worked out well," the company's president of distribution, Dan Fellman, told the AP news agency.
 | NORTH AMERICAN BOX OFFICE 1. The Departed ($27m) 2. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning ($19.2m) 3. Open Season ($16m) 4. Employee of the Month ($11.8m) 5. The Guardian ($9.6m) 6. Jackass Number Two ($6.4m) 7. School for Scoundrels ($3.4m) 8. Gridiron Gang ($2.3m) 9. Fearless ($2.2m) 10. The Illusionist ($1.8m) Source: Exhibitor Relations |
The Departed cost about $90m (�48m) and is a remake of the Hong Kong drama Infernal Affairs.
Nicholson plays a crime boss in Boston who plants a mole inside the city's police force, at the same time as his own organisation is being infiltrated by an outsider.
Its estimated opening weekend earnings are three times that of Scorsese's last film, The Aviator.
However, this turned out to be the highest-grossing movie of his career, generating a total of $102m (�55m).
The only other newcomer in this week's top 10 was Employee of the Month at number four.
It stars Jessica Simpson and focuses on the rivalry between two members of staff who work in a superstore.
One-Minute World News 
News services
E-mail this to a friend 
Printable version 
