'Hellboy II' catches fire with $35.9 million debut

Universal's "Hellboy" sequel, starring Ron Perlman as the red-skinned devil fighting for the good guys, took over the top spot from Will Smith's superhero tale "Hancock," which slipped to second place with $33 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Sony's "Hancock" raised its domestic total to $165 million.

Opening at No. 3 with $20.6 million was New Line's "Journey to the Center of the Earth," starring Brendan Fraser in an underground adventure shot in digital 3-D.

Eddie Murphy bombed with his comedy "Meet Dave," a 20th Century Fox release that took in just $5.3 million. The movie features Murphy in dual roles as a tiny alien and his spaceship--which is designed to resemble a full-sized human for a visit to Earth.

"It was a tough concept to get across," 20th Century Fox distribution executive Bert Livingston said of "Meet Dave," which cost about $55 million to make. "It's upsetting for all of us and for Eddie. He's very funny in this. Just not enough people came."

Science-fiction comedy has not been a kind genre for Murphy. His biggest bomb ever was the sci-fi tale "The Adventures of Pluto Nash," which cost about $90 million and took in just $4.4 million during its entire run.

"Hellboy II" was a rare case of one studio taking on another's hand-me-downs. Sony released the first "Hellboy" in 2004 but passed on the sequel, which allowed Universal to step in.

The original movie was a modest box-office performer, hauling in $23.2 million over opening weekend and $59 million in its entire run. However, it really caught fire on DVD, convincing Universal executives that a sequel was in order.

"When a film is a franchise that another studio didn't want to continue to pursue, it makes things even better," said Nikki Rocco, head of distribution at Universal. "We believed in the filmmakers, the talent packaged together. We saw the potential."