By David Germain
The Associated Press

LOS ANGELES - The Rock smacked down the competition with his action comedy "The Rundown, which debuted as the weekend's top movie by earning $18.5 million.

Diane Lane's romance Under the Tuscan Sun opened in second place with $9.41 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

It edged last weekend's No. 1 movie, Underworld, which slipped to third with $9.4 million.

Playing in far narrower release, Under the Tuscan Sun outdid The Rundown on a theater-by-theater basis. The Rundown averaged $5,869 in 3,152 cinemas, while Under the Tuscan Sun averaged $7,672 in 1,226 theaters.

"You couldn't have two movies at the top of the chart that are more different," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations. "It just shows there's an audience for every kind of movie."

The weekend's other new wide release - Drew Barrymore and Ben Stiller's black comedy Duplex, directed by Danny DeVito - debuted weakly with $4.4 million in 2,189 theaters, averaging $2,018.

Overall Hollywood revenues were down.

The top 12 movies took in $79.1 million, off 14 percent from the same weekend last year, when "Sweet Home Alabama" opened at No. 1 with $35.6 million.

In The Rundown, wrestler-turned-actor The Rock plays a hired strongman trying to bring home his employer's son (Seann William Scott) from a treasure hunt in the Amazon.

The Rundow" managed barely half the business as The Rock's The Scorpion King - his debut in a lead role - did on opening weekend last year.

Women accounted for 65 percent of the audience for Under the Tuscan Sun, said Chuck Viane, head of distribution for Disney, which released the movie. The movie is based on Frances Mayes' memoir about moving from San Francisco to start a new life renovating a villa in Italy.

" Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at North American theaters, according to Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc. Final figures will be released today.

1. The Rundown, $18.5 million.

2. Under the Tuscan Sun, $9.41 million.

3. Underworld, $9.4 million.

4. Secondhand Lions, $8.25 million.

5. The Fighting Temptations, $6.5 million.

6. Once Upon a Time in Mexico, $5.1 million.

7. Duplex, $4.4 million.

8. Cold Creek Manor, $4.3 million.

9. Matchstick Men, $4.29 million.

10. Lost in Translation, $3.5 million.