"Saw III" buzzes at box office

Last weekend's champ, the feuding-magician saga "The Prestige," fell to No. 3 with $9.6 million, giving it a 10-day haul of $28.8 million. The Christopher Nolan-directed movie, released by Walt Disney Co.'s Touchstone Pictures, stars Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale.

"FLAGS" FLICK FLOPS

After a soft $10.2 million debut last weekend, "Flags of our Fathers" slipped one place to No. 4 with $6.4 million, and one of the biggest percentage drops in the top 10. Paramount Pictures' $90 million film has earned $19.9 million after 10 days.

"Flags of our Fathers" sales dropped 38 percent despite the addition of 314 theaters to take its total to 2,190. By contrast, "The Prestige" was off 35 percent in its second round with no change in its 2,281 theater count. The Viacom Inc.-owned studio inherited "Flags" with its acquisition of DreamWorks SKG, which partnered on the film with Warner Bros.

Oscar plans for another acclaimed release, the apartheid-era drama "Catch a Fire," were dealt a blow as the film debuted at No. 12 with just $2.0 million. The film's distributor, Focus Features, said it was disappointed with the opening, and suggested it may have been hurt by a glut of adult movies. Derek Luke stars as a saboteur, while Tim Robbins plays his conflicted captor. Focus is a unit of General Electric Co.'s NBC Universal Inc.

Several high-profile movies opened in limited release, led by "Babel" and the documentary "Dixie Chicks: Shut Up and Sing." "Babel," a Paramount Vantage release starring Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett, earned a towering $365,801 from just seven theaters in New York and Los Angeles.

"Dixie Chicks," which revolves around the backlash against the country-music trio after it criticized President George W. Bush, earned a modest $50,978 from four theaters in New York and Los Angeles. It was released by privately held Weinstein Co., which last week accused two broadcast networks of refusing to accept advertising for the film.