'Star Trek Nemesis' was pipped to the post on opening weekend by Jennifer Lopez's 'Maid In Manhattan'.

The romantic comedy grossed $19 million, just ahead of Trek X's $18.75 million debut, according to studio estimates posted at Box Office Mojo. "It was a little bit lower than we expected," Paramount distribution head Wayne Lewellen told trade paper Variety.

'Drumline' came third with just over $13 million, followed by the latest James Bond caper 'Die Another Day,' now in its fourth week of release, with $7.5 million. In fifth place, Rob Schneider comedy 'The Hot Chick' grossed $7.47 million. These figures are based on actual takings for Friday and Saturday and projected revenue for Sunday, with the confirmed totals expected to be released tonight.

The $18.75 million debut of 'Nemesis' is even lower than 'Insurrection's' 1998 opening weekend, which pulled in just over $22 million. With 'First Conact' and 'Generations' grossing approximately $30 million and $23 million, respectively, the tenth Trek's takings represent the franchise's worst opening weekend since 'Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country' in 1991.

"But we still feel comfortable going into the holidays," Lewellen told the Associated Press. "We're hoping the audience that didn't show up this weekend will find the movie in the next few weekends."

Competition for 'Nemesis' in the upcoming week includes fantasy heavy-hitter 'The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers' opening Wednesday, and Martin Scorsese's 'Gangs of New York' and the Sandra Bullock/Hugh Grant romantic comedy 'Two Weeks Notice,' both set for a Friday debut.

Please note that these takings represent the studio estimates for the weekend, with the final figures to be released today. The original data can be found here at Box Office Mojo, with further articles available at Variety and the Associated Press.

December 17 Update: Box Office Mojo has now posted the official takings for the weekend. 'Star Trek Nemesis' grossed $18,513,305 million, while 'Maid In Manhattan' took the number one spot with $18,711,407 million. The original figures are available here.

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