Back To Nature

It's a frightening thing when (for those three days every year) the British sun pops out from behind its perpetual shroud of greyish clouds to bathe us all in life-affirming rays. One and all the British public drop whatever they're doing (work, crime, babies), whip half their clothes off and proceed to lie down on the nearest available patch of grass - wheresoever that may be. But, as freakish a phenomenon as this is, it's reassuring to know that our American cousins aren't immune either. While bestowed with more than their fair share of sunshine year round, American audiences embraced the summer sun over he weekend and rediscovered things like trees, plants and wildlife while cinemas sat largely empty across the country. Harrison Ford's Hollywood Homicide made its debut to partially filled theatres and gained a disappointing $11.7 million, narrowly edged out of the way by Rugrats Go Wild, which took $12.5 million. Bruce Almighty and 2 Fast 2 Furious both slipped down the ladder, taking $14.2 million and $19.1 million respectively. Indeed, the only film to hold its own as the height of summer approaches was Disney's Finding Nemo, which found itself back on the top spot with $29.2 million - the appeal of being outdoors is largely lost on the current generation of bloodshot-eyed, Nintendophile children after all. Mother Nature 1, Hollywood 0.