The top three films at the box office a week ago were also the top three this past weekend, according to studio estimates released Sunday.

Paramount's Save the Last Dance remained in first place with about $16 million, followed by Twentieth Century Fox's Cast Away with $11.3 million and USA Films' Traffic with $8.2 million. Opening in fourth place was the British comedy-thriller Snatch from director Guy Ritchie, which took in $7.6 million. Ritchie's previous film, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels earned only $3.65 million during its entire North American run in 1999. (It was a big hit in Britain, however, where it grossed $16.3 million.) Snatch, which received mostly so-so reviews compared with those for Lock, Stock, was believed helped by a highly praised appearance by superstar Brad Pitt in a supporting role and the notoriety that Ritchie received when he married Madonna recently. (The film earned $17.3 million during its U.K. run last year.)

Another new film, The Pledge, directed by Sean Penn and starring Jack Nicholson, earned $5.8 million -- six times as much as The Crossing Guard, the last Penn-Nicholson collaboration, earned during its run in 1995.

The top ten films for the weekend, according to studio estimates compiled by Exhibitor Relations: 1. Save the Last Dance, $16 million; 2. Cast Away, $11.3 million; 3. Traffic, $8.2 million; 4. Snatch, $7.6 million; 5. What Women Want, $7 million; 6. Finding Forrester, $6.7 million; 7. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, $6.46 million; 8. Thirteen Days, $6.4 million; 9. Miss Congeniality, $6.2 million; 10. The Pledge, $5.7 million.

Source: Studio Briefing