'Married' Tops 'Rings' At Box Office

There's an exchange of rings on top of this weekend's movie box office revenue.

The comedy "Just Married," starring Brittany Murphy and Ashton Kutcher, debuted in first place in North American theaters with $18 million.

That dropped "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" to second place at $15 million. The second of the "Ring" films was on top for three weekends and has total earnings of an estimated $283.6 million.

"Just Married" has had poor reviews from many film critics but young moviegoers helped match the film's $18 million cost. Distributor 20th Century Fox said people younger than 21 made up 65 percent of the movie's opening weekend audience.

In third place this weekend is "Catch Me If You Can" with $14.8 million. The Leonardo DiCaprio-Tom Hanks film became the 23rd movie released in 2002 to surpass $100 million. That beats a film industry record of 22 films past $100 million in 2000.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at North American theaters, according to Exhibitor Relations Co.

1. "Just Married," $18 million.

2. "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers," $15 million.

3. "Catch Me If You Can," $14.8 million.

4. "Two Weeks Notice," $6.7 million.

5. "About Schmidt," $6.3 million.

6. "Chicago," $5.6 million.

7 (tie). "Maid in Manhattan," $5 million.

7 (tie). "Gangs of New York," $5 million.

9. "Antwone Fisher," $3.8 million.

10. "Adaptation," $2.9 million.