Reese Witherspoon's Legally Blonde 2 bravely took on Arnold Schwarzenegger's Terminator 3 this weekend, but the light-hearted comedy's hot pink wardrobe and darling chihuahua weren't enough to defeat the futuristic cyborg at the box office.
Arnie's long-awaited instalment scored double the Legally Blonde 2 take, ringing up $44 million in US ticket sales during the Independence Day weekend – about 40 per cent more than Terminator 2: Judgment Day made on its opening weekend in 1991. And since its launch at Stateside cinemas last Wednesday, Terminator 3: Rise Of The Machines has made more than $72 million at the box office.
The Austrian-born star of the $150-million flick, who is currently mulling over a run for governor in the state of California, kicked off his latest blockbuster by attending a special screening of the movie for US soldiers in Iraq.
"I play a terminator, but you guys are the true terminators," he told soldiers during his visit. And the former bodybuilder, known for his on-screen one-liners, had a few off screen quips to share as he rallied the troops. "It is really wild driving around here," he said. "I mean the poverty, and you see there is no money, it is disastrous financially and there is the leadership vacuum - pretty much like in California right now."
Meanwhile, the conservative would-be politician, who is married to TV journalist and late President John F Kennedy's niece Maria Shriver, has enlisted veteran strategist George Gorton to help him prepare for the 2004 race. "Arnold Schwarzenegger never lost a thing in his life, and he doesn't think he's going to start now," says Mr Gorton. "I think he's right: he will win if he runs."
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
