WEEKEND BOX OFFICE : “Moon” Shines for Universal

Universal Pictures, which spent the summer watching its market share drop and fending of evangelicals protesting its release of “The Last Temptation of Christ,” finally had some good news over the weekend. The studio’s “Moon Over Parador,” a comedy directed by Paul Mazursky and starring Richard Dreyfuss--who had teamed earlier in the popular “Down and Out in Beverly Hills”--hit the top of the charts. On its opening weekend, “Moon Over Parador” grossed $3.3 million on 1,145 screens, an average of $2,855 per screen.

* Warner Bros.’ “Running on Empty,” the story of ex-radicals who have been on the run from the law since the 1960s, grossed $215,157 at 22 theaters, or $9,779 per screen.

Weekend Gross/ Screens/ Weeks Movie (Studio) Total (millions) Average in Release 1. “Moon Over Parador” $3.3 1,145 1 (Universal) $3.3 $2,855 2. “Nightmare on Elm St. 4” $3.2 1,675 4 (New Line) $38.4 $1,911 3. “A Fish Called Wanda” $2.8 1,214 9 (MGM/UA) $41.5 $2,313 4. “Die Hard” $2.6 1,422 9 (20th Century Fox) $61.9 $1,834 5. “Betrayed” $2.5 1,100 3 (MGM/UA) $16.7 $2,283 * “Running on Empty” $.215 22 1 (Warner) $.215 $9,779

SOURCE: Exhibitor Relations Co.