'Transporter 2' Leaves 'The 40-Year-Old Virgin' Behind at the Box Office

'Transporter 2,' Jason Statham's sequel to his 2002 action film 'Transporter' won the top spot at the box office over the long Labor Day Weekend. The sequel took in $20.25 million in its opening weekend to win the top spot, outdrawing its predecessor which opened with just $9.1 million back in October 2002.

Second place belonged to 'The 40-Year-Old Virgin' which has showed remarkable staying power at the box office. It finally fell to second place after two weeks at the top spot. The film, starring Steve Carrell as a middle aged man who has never had sex, took in $16.6 million this weekend to raise its domestic gross to $71.9 million in three weeks.

Third place belonged to 'The Constant Gardner' which received solid reviews from critics. The thriller, which stars Ralph Fiennes and Rachel Weisz took in $10.8 million. That number looks even better since 'The Constant Gardner' was playing in nearly 2,000 fewer theaters than 'Transporter 2.'

'Red Eye' held on to the fourth spot for the weekend with $9.3 million in gross receipts, followed by 'The Brothers Grimm' with $7.9 million. The film, by Monty Python troop member Terry Gilliam, received mixed reviews from critics. The duo of Matt Damon and Heath Ledger gave the film some star power but its opening is considered a bit of a disappointment.

Rounding out the top 10 were John Singleton's 'Four Brothers,' the comedy 'Wedding Crashers,' the documentary 'March of the Penguins', 'Skeleton Key' and 'The Cave.'

Two films made very disappointing debuts after being panned by critics. 'Underclassman,' an action comedy starring Nick Cannon grossed just $3.1 million and finished just outside the top 10.

Meanwhile, 'A Sound of Thunder,' starring Edward Burns and Ben Kingsley and based on a story by top sci-fi writer Ray Bradbury took in a paltry $1.15 million.

The disappointing summer season is over for Hollywood. Movie moguls can only hope that the fall season reverses the industry’s downward trends at the box office.