Anyone wondering whether Vin Diesel can carry a movie need look no further

than this weekend's box-office numbers. "XXX," the first full-blown action

picture to give Diesel top billing, debuted at #1 with a $46 million take in

its first three days.

"XXX" bumped filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan's "Signs" out of the top spot (see

[article id="1456445"]"Mel Gibson, 'Signs' Overpower Austin's

Mojo"[/article]), according to studio estimates released Sunday. The success of

the much-anticipated and heavily hyped "XXX," ([article id="1455445"]click for photos[/article] from the movie) which stars Diesel as an

extreme-sports athlete sent by the government to infiltrate a terrorist

group called Anarchy 99, all but cements plans to move ahead with a sequel

(see [article id="1456373"]"Vin Diesel Ain't Goin' Nowhere:

'Pitch Black,' 'XXX' Sequels In Works"[/article]).

"Signs" held strong with $30 million, pushing the crop circle mystery's

two-week total past $118 million ([article id="1456034"]click for photos[/article] from the movie). "Spy Kids 2," an action comedy aimed at

younger audiences, debuted at #3, making $17 million from Friday to Sunday.

"Blood Work," the weekend's other widely released film (see [article id="1456962"]"Who Wins In A Fight Between Vin Diesel, Clint

Eastwood And The Spy Kids?"[/article]), directed by and starring Clint

Eastwood, opened at #5 with $7.2 million.

The record-breaking "Austin Powers in Goldmember" (see [article id="1456330"]" 'Goldmember' Hotter Than Austin's Velvet Suits At Box

Office"[/article]) dropped two places to #4 with $13 million, for a three-week

total of $167.7 million.

The rest of the top 10 includes "Saturday Night Live" veteran Dana Carvey's

"The Master of Disguise" at #6 with $5.1 million, for a total of $23.8

million in two weeks of release; Tom Hanks' "Road to Perdition" down two

places to #7 with $4 million, for an overall five-week total of $84.1

million; "Martin Lawrence Live: Runteldat" at #8 with $3.17 million in its

second week for a total of $13.1 million; slow-building indie powerhouse "My

Big Fat Greek Wedding," co-starring 'NSYNC's Joey Fatone (see [article id="1452937"]" 'NSYNC's Joey Fatone Talks About His Big Fat

Movie"[/article]), at #9 with $3.1 million for a 17-week total of $45 million;

and the Michael J. Fox-voiced "Stuart Little 2" at #10 with $2.7 million for

a four-week total of $53 million.

"24 Hour Party People" made $34,000 at two New York theaters over the

weekend (see [article id="1456314"]"Kurt Loder Weighs In On '24

Hour Party People' "[/article]), while another limited-release film, Jennifer

Aniston's "The Good Girl," pulled in $148,700. The small-town drama will

expand to 55 theaters next weekend. By comparison, "XXX" is playing on 3,374

screens.

For more on Vin Diesel and "XXX," check out [article id="1456943"]"Vin Diesel: Not Your Father's Action Hero."[/article]