There's Still Something About 'Mary'

Talk about a sleeper. Not only has "There's Something About Mary" managed to hang in the top 10 grossing movies two months after its initial release, but it finished No. 1 at the box office Labor Day weekend, earning about $11.6 million. It was helped by a singular lack of competition. Only one new wide-release entered the fray this past weekend: "Knock Off," a martial arts movie starring Jean-Claude Van Damme, which opened in fourth place with a humble $5.6 million. "Blade," which had spent the previous two weeks at No. 1, slipped to second place with $10.4 million. "Saving Private Ryan" held steady in third with $8.6 million. "Ever After," starring Drew Barrymore in the Cinderella story, rose a notch to fifth with $4.4 million.

Overall summer business finished 12 percent stronger than last year's, with $2.5 billion and nine films making more than $100 million: "Armageddon," "Saving Private Ryan," "Deep Impact," "Dr. Dolittle," "Godzilla," "There's Something About Mary," "Lethal Weapon 4," "The Truman Show" and "Mulan." The fall season kicks off next weekend with "Rounders," starring Matt Damon and Edward Norton, and "Simon Birch," a critically maligned adaptation of the John Irving novel "A Prayer for Owen Meany."