By Kofi Outlaw

I bet right about now Jerry Seinfeld is wishing that he’d stayed retired. Despite marketing and promoting ‘ad’ nauseam, Seinfeld-vehicle BEE MOVIE failed to trump the much-buzzed showdown between Denzel Washington and Russel Crowe in Ridley Scott’s drug-lord biopic AMERICAN GANGSTER, which capped the box office this weekend with an impressive $46.3 million debut.

Not that BEE MOVIE’s earnings were anything to sneeze at. The CGI animated film from DreamWorks studios, which was also co-written and produced by Seinfeld, still earned a sweet $39.1 million. CGI kids film HAPPY FEET performed only slightly better this same time last year. Interestingly enough, CinemaScore surveys indicated that over half of BEE MOVIE’s first week audience were adults age 25 and up—most likely those turned away from GANGSTER’s sold out shows. A surge of kid support could still give BEE MOVIE the push it needs to sting its way to no. 1 next week.

AMERICAN GANGSTER’s $46.3 million opening marks the highest first week debut for either Washington or Crowe. Washington’s previous best was last year’s heist thriller INSIDE MAN ($29 mil), while Crowe’s previous best was another Ridley Scott film, 2000’s GLADIATOR ($34.8 mil). For director Ridley Scott GANGSTER marks his second-best debut behind 2001’s HANNIBAL, which devoured $58 mil in its first week. With strong critical reviews (metacritic score of 76) and fans obviously turning out in droves (I was turned away twice in NYC due to sell outs) AMERICAN GANGSTER is poising itself to be an early Oscar contender, much like THE DEPARTED did a year ago.

Rant back and let us know what you think about AMERICAN GANGSTER’s chances at the Oscars this year, or if you even got an opportunity to get in and see the movie. Meanwhile, somebody tap Jerry Seinfeld on the shoulder and assure him that 30 ROCK’s door is always open.