LOS ANGELES - Matthew McConaughey's "Sahara" heated up the weekend box office, with the action flick set in the African desert debuting at the top with $18.5 million.

Audiences gave a cooler reception to "Fever Pitch," the weekend's other new wide release. The Drew Barrymore and Jimmy Fallon baseball romance opened in third place with a so-so $13 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

The previous weekend's No. 1 movie, "Sin City," slipped to second place with $14.1 million, lifting its 10-day total to $50.7 million.

"Fever Pitch," directed by the Farrelly brothers from Nick Hornby's memoir about his sports obsession, stars Barrymore as a career woman who stumbles into a relationship with a man whose world revolves around the Boston Red Sox.

"It may have alienated guys with too much romance, and it may have alienated women with too much baseball," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations.

But women made up 58 percent of the audience for "Fever Pitch." That may bode well for the movie's long-term prospects, since films appealing to women often have a longer shelf life than movies aimed at men.

"These romantic comedies tend to leg out. They play on and on," said Bruce Snyder, head of distribution for 20th Century Fox, which released "Fever Pitch." Barrymore's "Never Been Kissed" had an $11.4 million opening weekend and held on to do a solid $52.4 million when its domestic run ended, he said.

1. "Sahara," $18.5 million.

2. "Sin City," $14.1 million.

3. "Fever Pitch," $13 million.

4 (tie). "Beauty Shop," $7.1 million.

4 (tie). "Guess Who," $7.1 million.

6. "Robots," $4.65 million.

7. "Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous," $4.1 million.

8. "The Pacifier," $3 million.

9. "The Ring 2," $2.9 million.

10. "The Upside of Anger," $2.6 million.