Grosses Unlimited

Or so it must seem to Time-Warner and the producers of 300 as leather cultists frolic in high clover and the latest blood-and-sandals epic takes in $9,000 per screen, giving it a Friday total of $27.8 million and a muscular first place finish.

The tale of a serial killer -- Zodiac -- occupies the "show" position (#3), while Ghost Rider in fourth place is poised to crack $100 million...

Meanwhile, the two Disney Co. releases -- Wild Hogs at #2 with a $52.3 million total, and Bridge to Terabitha at #5 and $62 million (rounded) help keep Buena Vista Distribution in the game for the March 10th weekend.

Update: Heey now. As good as Wild Hogs did in its opening weekend, 300 chopped a lot more heads off! A $70 million opening weekend for a film that didn't have a budget up there in the triple digits. Warners has to be ecstatic.

And second place Wild Hogs, despite all the critical thumbs that were so adamently down, declines only 29% to a $28 million second weekend and a cume of $77,437,000.

Meanwhile, Gabor C. waves his magic cartoon wand and levitates Bridge to Terabithia back into the #3 position, where it has now run a total of $67 million.

And way down at #20, Happy Feet climbs 49%, takes in $695,000 and is now looking at a total of $195,624,000. Not bad for a cg flick from New Zealand that's distributed by a company (Warner Bros.) who's feature animation track record has been spotty.