The Rock knocked down box-office records for April and established himself as a viable action hero with The Scorpion King, which took in $36.2 million for a No. 1 weekend debut.

        The WWF wrestling champ made his starring debut in the offshoot of The Mummy franchise, which set a record for best opening weekend in April by surpassing the $27.8 million debut of The Matrix in 1999.

        Last weekend's top movie, Changing Lanes, slipped to second place with $11.1 million, pushing its total to $32.8 million in 10 days, according to studio estimates Sunday.

        The weekend's other new wide release, Sandra Bullock's crime thriller Murder by Numbers, had a so-so debut of $9.5 million, coming in at No. 3.

        Hollywood continued a string of big-money weekends, with the top 12 films taking in $93.1 million, up 38 percent from the same weekend a year ago. Heading into a summer season crowded with sequels and franchise films, the industry is well ahead of the record box-office pace of last year, when movies grossed $8.4 billion domestically.

        With no major action films opening next weekend, The Scorpion King has a clear field until the following week, when the hotly anticipated Spider-Man kicks summer season into full force.

        The weekend's top ten, based on estimated ticket sales :

        4. The Rookie, $6.3 million.

        5. Panic Room, $6.2 million.

        6. Ice Age, $5.7 million.

        7. The Sweetest Thing, $5.2 million.

        8. High Crimes, $3.8 million.

        9. Clockstoppers, $2.9 million.

        10. National Lampoon's Van Wilder, $2.3 million.

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