HOLLYWOOD, Calif. -- Based on the box office receipts reported from this weekend, moviegoers are more than a little reluctant to see beleaguered actor Mel Gibson stick his hand in an old beaver for 90 minutes. Gibson’s latest film, a dark comedy-drama directed by Jodie Foster, earned a meager $104,000 during its first three days of limited release. Having fallen from the pedestal he built for himself with blockbusters such as “Braveheart” and “Passion of the Christ,” Gibson had placed high hopes of recapturing his past cinematic glory on a tatty beaver.

Critics at Gibson’s press junket alleged that at several points in the conference, the actor blamed his current predicament on “messing around with the wrong beavers,” though they could offer no explanation on the meaning of the comment.