LOS ANGELES - Jason Statham delivered a bigger box-office package this time, with his action sequel "Transporter 2" taking in $20.25 million to debut as the top weekend movie.

The followup's solid payday over the four-day Labor Day weekend was more than twice the haul for "The Transporter," which took in $9.1 million in its three-day opening weekend in October 2002.

"Transporter 2" took over the No. 1 slot from "The 40-Year-Old Virgin," which slipped to second place with $16.6 million after two weekends on top, according to studio estimates Sunday. "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" raised its total domestic gross to $71.9 million.

The well-reviewed "The Constant Gardener," starring Ralph Fiennes and Rachel Weisz in a John le Carre suspense thriller, premiered in third place with $10.8 million, a solid opening given that it played in just 1,346 theaters, nearly 2,000 fewer than "Transporter 2."

On the flip side were two new wide releases soundly trashed by critics and generally ignored by audiences.

"Underclassman," an action comedy starring Nick Cannon as a cop who goes undercover at a high school to investigate a murder, flopped with just $3.1 million.

"A Sound of Thunder," with Edward Burns and Ben Kingsley in an adaptation of Ray Bradbury's sci-fi story about time travelers who disrupt evolution on a trip to visit dinosaurs, had a paltry $1.15 million.

"Transporter 2" had a record debut for the Labor Day period, typically a slow time at theaters, beating the previous high of $18.4 million held by "Jeepers Creepers 2" over the same weekend in 2003.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Monday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc.

1. "Transporter 2," $20.25 million.

2. "The 40-Year-Old Virgin," $16.6 million.

3. "The Constant Gardener," $10.8 million.

4. "Red Eye," $9.3 million.

5. "The Brothers Grimm," $7.9 million.

6. "Four Brothers," $6.4 million.

7. "Wedding Crashers," $5.8 million.

8. "March of the Penguins," $5.4 million.

9. "The Skeleton Key," $4.1 million.

10. "The Cave," $3.7 million.