Cage returns to form

Nicolas Cage has marked a return to form this week with the general release of his new action-adventure movie.

14:58 22 November 2004

Nicolas Cage has marked a return to form this week with the general release of his new action-adventure movie.

National Treasure sees the Oscar-winning actor return to the genre that made him a Hollywood household name, as the leader of a motley crew in hot pursuit of a hidden fortune.

It harks back to the successes of Gone in Sixty Seconds and The Rock, to a time before a period of less lucrative, more performance-orientated ventures including Charlie Kaufman's Oscar-nominated Adaptation.

And much like the plot of the film itself, the movie has proven a hidden treasure of its own at this week's US box office.

Taking a respectable $35.5 million (19 million) in ticket sales across the weekend, according to studio estimates, National Treasure beat off stiff opposition from Pixar's The Incredibles to give Cage his first mainstream hit in nearly four years.

Following closely in second place was the full length, silver-screen debut for the Nickleodeon cartoon network favourite SpongeBob, which took $33.5 million.

Superhero family The Incredibles slipped to third in the chart after a two-week stint in the top spot.


US Box Office Top Ten:

1. National Treasure
2. SpongeBob Squarepants
3. The Incredibles
4. Polar Express
5. Bridget Jones
6. After The Sunset
7. Ray
8. The Grudge
9. Seed Of Chucky
10. Saw