Hulk a monster box-office hit Hulk was a monster at the box office in its debut weekend, with the comic-book adaptation taking in a June opening record of $62.6 million US, topping the previous record set by Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me.

The action flick about a scientist turned into a raging green beast by a lab accident took over the top box-office spot from the animated fish tale Finding Nemo, which slipped to second place with a weekend take of $20.5 million, according to studio estimates. 2 Fast 2 Furious was in the No. 3 spot, Bruce Almighty in fourth and The Italian Job in fifth. The weekend's other new wide releases opened quietly. Rob Reiner's romantic comedy, Alex & Emma, starring Kate Hudson and Luke Wilson, debuted at No. 7 with $6.2 million. From Justin to Kelly, a romance starring American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson and runner-up Justin Guarini, opened at No. 11 with only $2.9 million. Despite its success, revenue for Hulk was well below that of last month's Marvel Comics adaptation, X2: X-Men United, which grossed $85.6 million in its debut weekend.

Playwright George Alexrod dies

Playwright George Axelrod, who anticipated the sexual revolution with The Seven Year Itch and Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter and later wrote screenplays for such films as Breakfast at Tiffany's and The Manchurian Candidate, died Saturday. He was 81. Axelrod died in his sleep of heart failure, said his daughter, Nina. The Manchurian Candidate, in 1962, based on Richard Condon's novel about wartime brainwashing and subversive politics, may have been Axelrod's best achievement. He declared in 1995 that the script "broke every rule." Other films included Goodbuy, Charlie, Paris When It Sizzles, How to Murder Your Wife, Lord Love a Duck and The Secret Life of an American Wife.