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Slasher movie tops US box office
Tuesday, 4 September, 2001 http://www.news.bbc.co.uk

New movie Jeepers Creepers has knocked American Pie 2 off the top of the US box office chart, showing the teen slasher genre is still buoyant. 
The movie, about a brother and sister's encounter with a creature on a country road, broke sales records for the usually quiet Labor Day weekend, taking $15.8m (£10.9m). 

The previous record over the holiday weekend was $9.8m (£6.7m) for The Crow: City Of Angels in 1996. 

Jackie Chan's Rush Hour 2 hung on to the number two slot, taking $11.8m (£8.1m). 

Teen comedy American Pie 2 has slipped to number three in the chart after three weeks at the top, with receipts of $11.7m (£8m). 

US box office top five 
1. Jeepers Creepers
2. Rush Hour 2
3. American Pie 2
4. The Others
5. Rat Race 

The only other new entry in the top 10 was for the updated Shakespeare tragedy O, based on Othello. 

The film was shot in 1999 but because of its violent nature, with a finale of brutal slayings, release was delayed. 

It is widely thought distributors Miramax decided not to release O because it too closely mirrored the Columbine High School massacre of 1999. 


The movie, starring Josh Hartnett and Julia Stiles, was eventually picked up by distributors Lions Gate. 

Despite showing in less than 1,500 screens across the States, half the number of the top film, it managed an opening weekend of $6.9m (£4.7m). 

The summer's biggest grossing film in the US was the DreamWorks animation Shrek, taking $206.4m (£142.7m) 

The number two was Rush Hour 2 with $198.9m (£137.4m), followed by the blockbuster Pearl Harbor, taking $196.7m (£135.9m). 

Other summer big openers included American Pie 2, Planet of the Apes and the surprise hit The Fast and the Furious.