WEEKEND BOX OFFICE : ‘Batman’ Becomes Biggest Movie of Summer

Warners, rebounding from a two-year film drought, continued its summer dominance with over 40% of the weekend box-office share. “Lethal Weapon 2” grossed $17.2 million on 1,830 screens, or $9,392 per screen, down 12% from its premiere last week. Meanwhile, “Batman’s” earnings soared to $167.6 million to surpass “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” as this summer’s biggest moneymaker. The film also buried “The Exorcist” and its $150-million record gross to become the most successful film in Warners’ history. James Bond’s newest adventure in MGM/UA’s “Licence to Kill” debuted on 1,575 screens for $8.8 million, compared to $11 million for the 1987 hit “The Living Daylights.” Disney is flying high after “Peter Pan” touched down on 1,475 screens and earned $5.6 million. Disney now has three films in release, counting “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids”--which finished third in the box office, neck-and-neck with Bond--and “Dead Poet’s Society.”

* “When Harry Met Sally . . .” on 41 screens this weekend, the encounter was good enough to pull down $1.1 million for Columbia, for a super per-screen average of $26,694. This week the studio will expand the Rob Reiner romantic comedy, starring Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan, to 800 screens.

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE

Weekend Gross/ Screens/ Weeks Movie(Studio) Total (millions) Average in Release 1.”Lethal Weapon 2” $17.2 1,830 2 (Warner Bros.) $49.2 $9,392 2.”Batman” $15.1 2,201 4 (Warner Bros.) $167.6 $6,867 3.”Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” $8.8 1,460 4 Disney) $74.9 $6,031 4.”Licence to Kill” $8.8 1,575 1 (MGM/UA) $8.8 $5,571 5.”Peter Pan” $5.6 1,475 1 (Disney) $5.6 $3,805 *”When Harry Met Sally ...” $1.1 41 1 (Columbia) $1.4 $26,694