'LEATHERHEADS' TRUMPED BY '21,' BASKETBALL AT WEEKEND BOX OFFICE (LAT, VAR, THR)

By Nancy Tartaglione-Vialatte

Last week�s holdover, �21� trumped George Clooney�s �Leatherheads� at the box office this weekend with an estimated $15.1 million in ticket sales. �Leatherheads� opened to a soft $13.5 million, just edging out Jodie Foster-starrer "Nim's Island" for No. 2.

Nikki Rocco, Universal's president of domestic distribution, said she was "disappointed with the result" for "Leatherheads," a $58-million production, according to The Los Angeles Times.

�The results are less than we hoped for. The movie is a fun ride, and it doesn�t take itself too seriously. George Clooney is a great director, and I think they came for him. I�m disappointed for him� Rocco told Variety. �Having said that, there is a lot going on. I do think the basketball playoffs hurt attendance in the big cities. What really upsets me is the level of overall business.�

�Leatherheads� was widely predicted to win the weekend, with Universal believing it could overcome the challenges associated with marketing a genre whose heyday has long since passed, aided by Clooney�s star appeal, notes Variety.

While Universal puts itself ahead of Fox in its Sunday estimates, the majority of studios had �Nim�s� ahead of �Leatherheads.� The question will be resolved Monday when final weekend B.O. numbers are released.

��Nim�s� was an island oasis for family audiences. If you have a quality family film with an appealing storyline and an appealing cast, there will always be a market for it,� Fox senior VP of distribution Chris Aronson told Variety.

Meanwhile, overall business was down from the same period in 2007 for the third straight weekend.

April often can be a dull time at the B.O. in the lull before summer, although studios could be looking at a particularly tough time this year -- between Easter coming early and moviegoers being lukewarm, notes Variety.

The 37% second-weekend drop for "21" indicates good word-of-mouth for the film despite its mixed reviews from critics, notes the LAT.

The weekend's other wide opener, horror film "The Ruins," met expectations with a $7.8-million opening, ranking No. 5.

In more limited play, Martin Scorsese�s �Shine A Light,� grossed an estimated $1.5 million from 276 locations, with 93 of those runs being large format Imax theaters. Per location average was $5,475, with $1.1 million of the gross coming from Imax theaters, which charge more per ticket.

Year-to-date, Fox leads in marketshare at 24% based on family hits like �Horton Hears a Who� and 2007 holdover �Alvin and the Chipmunks.�