NATIONAL TREASURE TOPS BOX OFFICE, NIC CAGE HIGH SCHOOL FOE

National Treasure topped the Box Office this week, and Nicolas Cage and producer/director John Turtletaub put aside their High School rivalry.

National Treasure 2 opened up at the Box Office in the Number One spot grossing over 65 million dollars for the opening. The movie is the second in the series detailing the travels of treasure hunter Benjamin Franklin Gates, portrayed by Nicolas Cage. He seeks to discover the truth behind the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. Gates goes back in time to discover that pages were missing from the journal of Lincoln’s killer John Wilkes Booth.

While the movie hit it off with audiences, it seems that former High School rivals Nicolas Cage and producer/director Jon Turtletaub hit it off as well. Nicolas Cage talked about the working relationship.

“It’s interesting that Jon and I are genuinely stuck together (laughs). He went to High School with me and we were friendly, but there was always this little competitive tension there. I think he’s the first to admit it, and here we find ourselves on National Treasure 1 – I’m sure not through any fault of Jon’s – I think Jerry knowing me and working with me he really wanted me on the movie. But Jon sort of learned to love me again as I learned to love him through the experience and we became closer friends than we were, than we were in High School. And now in the sequel I feel that it’s a genuine bond, and I look forward to working with him more and more.”

Turtletaub gave some insights on what they both were like in High School.

“But even though both of us were at Beverly Hills High, we were kind of socially on opposite ends of the tracks. I was kind of the comfortable, show-offy, feel like I’m really funny kid who likes to be in musicals. Nic was a tough, smart, brooding, suspicious, guy who had this air of rebel about him. Nic wanted to [Marlon] Brando, and I wanted to be Jerry Lewis.”

National Treasure 2 also stars Ed Harris, Helen Mirren, Diane Kruger and Justin Bartha. Coming in behind National Treasure was I Am Legend with 47 million dollars last week.