‘Hitch’ keeps its hold as box office leader

Keanu Reeves went to hell and back, but he could not unhitch Will Smith from the top of the box office.

Smith’s romantic comedy “Hitch” was the No. 1 movie for a second straight weekend with $31.8 million in earnings, narrowly beating Reeves’ demonic thriller “Constantine,” which debuted in second place with $30.5 million, according to studio estimates.

Among other new releases, the girl-and-her-dog tale “Because of Winn-Dixie” won bragging rights as the weekend’s family-film winner over the baby-with-superpowers comedy “Son of the Mask.”

“Because of Winn-Dixie” opened at No. 3 with $10.9 million, and “Son of the Mask” was No. 4 with $7.7 million.

Hollywood continued its strong early-year showing, with the top 12 movies taking in an estimated $119.1 million, up 13 percent from President’s Day weekend last year.

That would be the second-best Presidents Day weekend ever, behind the $123.8 million total in 2003, when “Daredevil” and “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days” led the box office.

“Hitch,” with action star Smith playing a “date doctor” for romantically hopeless men, pushed its 10-day total to $90.1 million and will become the first movie released in 2005 to top the $100 million mark.

“This is one of those romantic comedies that appeals to men and women equally because of Will Smith,” said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations.

“Constantine,” adapted from the DC Comics’ “Hellblazer” series, stars Reeves as the title character, a man who dispatches hell’s minions back to the underworld.

Executives at Warner Bros., which distributed “Constantine” and also released Reeves’ “Matrix” movies, said they were satisfied with the film’s showing.

“For an R-rated movie, this is fabulous,” said Dan Fellman, Warner head of distribution. “In trying to look for some comparison, it was only our goal to reach the opening of the original ‘Matrix,’ and we exceeded that.”

“The Matrix” had an opening weekend of $27.8 million in April 1999.