WEEKEND BOX OFFICE : ‘Willow’ Tops $8 Million in First Weekend

After six months of studio-generated hype and enough free publicity to mount a fair presidential election campaign, the jury--American moviegoers--is still out over the fate of “Willow.” The George Lucas-produced, Ron Howard-directed fantasy grossed $8.3 million from 1,024 theaters for an $8,106 per theater average. Those aren’t the kind of opening weekend figures usually associated with Lucas’ name, but it’s a lot more than the film’s generally negative critical reception might have predicted. The jury has returned its verdict on the seventh installment of “Friday the 13th,” and it appears that the string may finally be up. “Friday 7” took in just $1,219 from each of 1,796 theaters during its second weekend, for a weak (for a sequel) 10-day total of $13.2 million.

* Alan Rudolph’s “The Moderns” scored the biggest single weekend grosses ever for an Island Pictures release, taking in $30,049 at the Music Hall Theater in Beverly Hills.

SOURCE: Exhibitor Relations Co.

Weekend Gross/ Screens/ Weeks Movie (Studio) Total (millions) Average in Release 1. Willow $8.3 1,024 1 (MGM/UA) $8.3 $8,106 2. Friday the 13th Part 7 $3.4 1,796 2 (Paramount) $13.2 $1,912 3. Colors $2.9 1,388 6 (Orion) $34.4 $2,122 4. Beetlejuice $2.7 1,546 8 (Warner Bros.) $58.8 $1,764 5. Shakedown $1.2 938 3 (Universal) $8.1 $1,303 * The Moderns $.030 1 1 (Alive) (L.A. run only) $.030 $30,049