‘Pacifier’ grabs top spot at box office

John Travolta was cool, but Vin Diesel proved cooler.

Diesel’s comedy “The Pacifier” surprised analysts by taking the top spot at the weekend box office with an estimated $30.2 million.

That was well ahead of Travolta’s “Be Cool,” which premiered with an estimated $23.5 million. Travolta’s previous best opening was “Face/Off” at $23.4 million.

Will Smith’s romantic comedy “Hitch” remains strong, taking third place and $12.5 million in its fourth weekend, pushing its total to $138 million.

“Diary of a Mad Black Woman” was No. 4 with $12 million.

“Million Dollar Baby,” this year’s Oscar winner for best picture, got a 16 percent boost in the first weekend since the ceremony to finish fifth with $8.5 million. That brought its total to $76.9 million.

“The Pacifier,” a “Kindergarten Cop”-style story about an undercover agent who must protect a house full of children, drew a surprising audience: More than half were 18 and older, according to Disney, which released the film.

“Vin brought his core fans out,” says Disney’s Chuck Viane.

“And the Disney name drew the kids. But this was more than we expected.”

“I think people like to see a fish-out-of-water story – an action star in a very unexpected role.” said Paul Dergarabedian, president of Exhibitor Relations Co., which tracks box-office figures.

This coming weekend, the animated film “Robots” with Robin Williams opens against the Bruce Willis action film “Hostage” and a re-released, tamer version of Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ.”