”Monster” pushes aside its competitors at box office

Moviegoers rewarded Jane Fonda’s return to the big screen by making “Monster-in-Law” the weekend’s top movie, though the comedy was short of a monster hit.

Overall box office revenues were down for a 12th straight week compared to last year. But the force is expected to return this weekend when the final chapter in the Star Wars saga – “Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge of the Sith,” – hits theaters on Thursday.

“Monster-in-Law,” which pits Jennifer Lopez against Fonda as her villainous prospective mother-in-law, took in $24 million, according to studio estimates.

Fonda’s first major film role in 15 years was also Lopez’s strongest box office opening performance, ahead of 2002’s “Maid in Manhattan,” which opened with $18.7 million.

“Kicking & Screaming,” in which Will Ferrell faces off against his father and youth soccer coaching rival Robert Duvall, opened in second place with an estimated $21 million. The weekend’s other major debut, the Jet Li action flick “Unleashed,” took in a respectable $10.6 million.

Last week’s box office champ, the Orlando Bloom Crusades epic “Kingdom of Heaven,” slipped to fourth place with $9.6 million.

The total box office take was down 6.7 percent from the same weekend last year, when “Troy” debuted with $46.8 million. But it was up 21.7 percent from the previous weekend.

“I’m encouraged by these numbers,” said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations. “This shows there is an audience out there.

“As we head into the week of ‘Star Wars,’ this is definitely a positive-looking marketplace.”

“Star Wars” will be followed by several big films, including the animated “Madagascar” (May 27), “Batman Begins” (June 15) and “War of the Worlds” (June 29).

“There’s nothing wrong with our business that a good movie won’t fix,” said David Tuckerman, head of distribution for New Line Cinema, which released “Monster-in-Law.” ” ‘Star Wars’ will jump-start us.”

Added Dergarabedian: “Because it’s the final installment, it’s going to go beyond the typical sci-fi audience. It’s a cultural phenomenon. Virtually everyone has a vested interest in this movie.”