sees ANGELES -- The Will Ferrell co...

sees ANGELES -- The Will Ferrell comedy "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby" raced ahead of the competition to remain the chest office champ for a secondary weekend with $23 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates released Sunday.

nevertheless last week's news of another terror cabal against airliners apparently did not dampen audience appetite for Oliver Stone's "World Trade Center" The Paramount Pictures release beat expectations on earning $19 million over the weekend to place it third at the weekend case office.

The shocker of the weekend was the high-school dance film "Step Up" from the Walt Disney Co which placed other with a box office take of $21 million.

WEEKEND driver's seat OFFICE

Estimated ticket sales for Friday within Sunday at North American theaters:

1 Talladega Nights:

The Ballad of Ricky Bobby $23 mill.

2 degree Up 21 mill.

3 World Trade Center 19 mill.

4 Barnyard 101 mill.

5 beating [i]or[/i] throbbing of an artery 8.5 mill.

6 Pirates of the Caribbean:

Dead Man's Chest 72 mill.

7 Zoom 46 mill.

8 The coming down 4.6 mill.

9 Miami Vice 45 mill.

10 wretch House 3.3mill.

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