'Sahara' heated up the weekend box office

'Sahara' starring Matthew McConaughey and Penelope Cruz got a
warm reception at box office. This action film set in the African
desert debuted at the top with $18.5 million. "Sahara" is adapted
from Clive Cussler's adventure novel and stars McConaughey,
Penelope and Steve Zahn as adventurers who turn up a long-lost
Civil War vessel in the desert and try to stop a plague spreading
through Africa. Distributor Paramount had expected the movie to
debut in the $15 million range.

On the other hand, Audiences gave a cooler reception to "Fever
Pitch," the weekend's other new release. The romantic comedy
starring Drew Barrymore and Jimmy Fallon opened in third place
with a mediocre $13 million.

The previous weekend's No. 1 movie, "Sin City," slipped to second
place with $14.1 million, lifting its 10-day total to $50.7 million.