LOS ANGELES - Hollywood's risk aversion strategy of holding down costs and sharing financial risks was worth its weight in box office gold this weekend.

At least that was the case for two studios -- one that held down costs and another that spread finance risk.

But for a pure-play movie studio, the weekend was a disappointment.

DreamWorks' R rated comedy "Old School" opened happily to $17.5 million. It's heading for $75 million, which would be nicely profitable with its $24 million cost.

"Fifty-six percent of the audience was under 25 with 58 percent male," DreamWorks distribution head Jim Tharp told me, noting its exit polls were "substantially above average for males and females and all age groups. Those scores indicate the audience will broaden beyond the 'Saturday Night Live' crowd."

Vivendi Universal's Universal Pictures' R-rated death row drama "The Life of David Gale" starring Kevin Spacey opened to a disappointing $7.2 million. Universal won't get hurt since "Gale" only cost $38 million and was co-financed by Germany's InterMedia Films.

"It wasn't a film that had to go out and do $50 million on opening," said Universal distribution president Nikki Rocco. "With war looming, the predominant message from moviegoers this weekend was they wanted light escapist fare."

Weekend boxoffice winners Rank  Title  Distributor  Weekend $  Total $  1  Daredevil  Fox  $18.9 million  $70.3 million  2  Old School  Dreamworks  $17.5 million  $17.5 million  3  How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days  Paramount  $11.8 million  $64.9 million  4  The Jungle Book 2  Buena Vista  $8.6 million  $25.1 million  5  Chicago  Miramax  $8.5 million  $94.3 million   Source: Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc.

For its 21-34 target audience, Rocco added, "it was A for males and A-minus for females in CinemaScore (exit polls)." Applauding Spacey's promotional help, she said, "We knew from our advance screenings that the main reason people would come to see it was because of him."

InterMedia also co-financed MGM's R rated police drama "Dark Blue" starring Kurt Russell, which opened poorly to $3.8 million.

Even with "Blue's" cost reportedly under $20 million, MGM will suffer because as a pure play movie company it's vulnerable whenever it comes up to bat. Hollywood's other major studios are insulated within diversified global media conglomerates whose other businesses cushion the blow from under-performing movies.

AOL Time Warner's Warner Bros. opened the PG-13 Civil War epic "Gods and Generals" to a modest $4.8 million. Warner will earn fees for distributing the four-hour film for Ted Turner Pictures. AOL Time Warner (AOL: Research, Estimates) is also parent company of CNN/Money.

"We didn't finance it," WB Distribution executive vice president Jeff Goldstein explained. "We didn't do the prints or advertising or anything." The project was a labor of love for Turner, without whom insiders said it would never have reached the screen.

Disney (DIS: Research, Estimates) held 940 sneak previews Saturday of its Touchstone Pictures comedy "Bringing Down the House," starring Steve Martin and Queen Latifah.

The PG-13 "House," opening Mar. 7 at about 2,700 theaters, played to 85 percent capacity, according to BV Distribution president Chuck Viane. Its audience was 49 percent males and 51 percent females with 55 percent couples, 23 percent families and 20 percent teens. By age, those on hand were 48 percent 26-50, 32 percent 12-25 and 13 percent 50-plus. They scored "House" 92 percent in the Top Two Boxes (excellent and very good).

"The last time I saw a score like this was 'Remember the Titans,' which (did) $115 million," Viane said. "Having the next 12 days for word of mouth to percolate before we open (will help a lot)."

News Corp.'s 20th Century Fox's PG-13 superhero thriller "Daredevil" finished first again with $18.9 million. Its 53 percent week two drop isn't out of line for event films. With its cume at $70.3 million, the $80 million-plus "Daredevil" should gross $100 million or more.

The PG-13 romantic comedy "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days" from Viacom's Paramount showed good legs, off 37 percent with $21 million. Its cume is $64.9 million, heading for $100 million.

Disney's G rated animated sequel "Jungle Book 2" held strongly, down 24 percent with $8.6 million. With a $25.1 million cume and an under $20 million production cost, it should be nicely profitable for Disney.  

Martin Grove appears Mondays on CNNfn's "The Biz," which airs at Noon, 8 p.m. and 11 p.m., Eastern.