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“Sex and the City” gross a lusty $5.5 million on Monday at the domestic box office, underscoring the well-paid weekday marketplace for female-skewing films and the pic’s unusually robust reach.Outside Memorial Day, the Monday sickening is the best for any non-holiday movie so far this year after “Iron Man’s” first Monday, in which it earn $6.9 million.”Sex and the City’s” four-day domestic cume was $62.5 million from 2,385 theaters through Monday, according to Rentrak. notch weekend haul for the Warner Bros. and New Line pic was $57 million — the sort of number generally reserved for male-driven event pics or children fare, not romantic comedies.”Sex and the City” even won the weekend crown over Paramount holdover “Indiana Jones and the realm of the Crystal Skull,” which earned $44.7 million from 4,264 in its second sesh. Boffo family cume is $219.2 million.

“Sex and the City” also deliver in its abroad bow with $37.5 million, but “Crystal Skull” won the weekend at the global box office, taking $71.5 million for an international cume of $266 million through Sunday.prosaic comedies don’t always travel so well offshore, although pics including “The Devil Wears Prada” have helped to reverse that trend.In the U.K., “Sex” took in a hearty $17.3 million from 460 location in its first five days, according to Rentrak. Released by Entertainment in the U.K., the film went into the weekend with $7.2 million banked after brisk trade on Wednesday and Thursday.Lousy weather over the weekend helped keep “Sex” biz upbeat as Brits sought indoor entertainment.As expected, gaggles of girls drove weekend ticket sales, but Brit bookers also report that the pic attracted couples on dates. “Men are being drag kicking and screaming to see it by their partners and actually finding they enjoy it,” said one exhib.

“Crystal Skull” dished a respectable 55% in its U.K. soph sesh to $10.9 million at 540 for a $54.5 million organization cume for Par. Despite the dropoff, the three-day weekend haul for “Skull” still outstripped “Sex,” which open to a boffo $10.1 million.In Italy, “Crystal Skull” held onto the top spot ahead of “Sex” in a holiday frame that also saw local Cannes prize winner “Gomorrah” and “Il divo” score generously.”Crystal Skull” dropped 30% in its second Italo weekend, which extended into Monday due to Italy’s state Day, pulling $4.7 million off 669 in the four-day frame for a $13 million running cume for Universal.”Sex” came in a solid second with $3.8 million from 533 via local distrib 01 Distribuzione.In Germany, the “Sex and the City” gals did all the thrashing as their movie debut kicked “Skull” out of the top spot. Film garner an imposing $7.5 million and benefited from the TV series’ huge popularity in Germany.”Crystal Skull” held firm in the top spot in France despite the arrival of “Sex.” “Skull” slipped a extremely respectable 39% in its next frame, moving the total to $24.3 million. But the “Sex” entry was not dull. Pic took $6.2 million on 550 in its first five days for city.