Last week, the leader at the box office was a superhero film that did not begin life as a comic book. It definitely got its inspiration from the funny pages, but it was spawned from an original script. That movie was Hancock, and it put on a surprisingly strong showing in its second week, although it was not quite enough to retain the top spot. This weekend's winner actually had its origin in comic book form, although this particular tale is an original written for the screen. The number one film is none other than Hellboy II: The Golden Army. It took the crown with a solid $34.5 million.

Before going any further, I have to throw a hearty recommendation behind this Guillermo Del Toro film. Hellboy II will be a good alternative for those of you who are unable to get tickets for The Dark Knight (I urge those interested to get your tickets now as they are going fast). Hellboy II opened with $11 million more than its 2004 predecessor and becomes the biggest opening of Guillermo Del Toro's career. Hopefully, it will not be completely swallowed up by the Batman juggernaut, as it is a wildly imaginative film that has great action, comedy, and is just a lot of fun to watch.

Two other films went into wide release this weekend. First up is Journey to the Center of the Earth, starring Brendan Fraser. It is not so much a new adaptation of the Jules Verne novel as much as it draws its inspiration from it. It finished third with a strong $21 million, which is more than I thought it would make. The film is being screened in 3D as well as flat, and it looks like both versions drew audiences. I saw it in a packed house, in 3D, and it is the only way to see it. It is not a great movie, but it is fun and does a good job of showcasing the latest version of 3D technology.

The other wide release tanked, finishing a lowly seventh place. The Eddie Murphy vehicle (hehe) Meet Dave failed to connect with audiences, evidenced by the very small opening night crowd I saw it with. For Murphy, this ranks as one of the worst openings of his long career. Only Pluto Nash, Holy Man, and 48 Hrs. opened with less, and the latter only had 850 screens to work with. I have to concur with those who didn't go, it is not terribly well worth seeing on the big screen. If anything, wait for the DVD release.