WEEKEND BOX OFFICE : Holiday Rebound for Hollywood

The Christmas box-office blues are over, with most of the season’s top movies enjoying a huge leap in business during the four-day New Year’s Day weekend. “War of the Roses,” Danny DeVito’s black comedy about divorce pairing stars Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner, jumped more than 140%, selling $10.5 million in tickets and rising to the top of the chart. “Tango & Cash,” Warner’s Sylvester Stallone-Kurt Russell buddy movie, moved up 53%, grossing $9.6 million at 1,556 screens. And children flocked to see Disney’s animated feature, “The Little Mermaid.” Ticket sales jumped nearly 200% to nearly $9.2 million, or $6,072 per screen.

* In its second week in release, Oliver Stone’s “Born on the Fourth of July” is proving once again that Tom Cruise is a mega-box office draw. Playing at only eight theaters, the film grossed a whopping $61,530 per screen.

Weekend Gross/ Screens/ Weeks in Movie (Studio) Total (millions) Average Release 1.”War of the Roses” $10.5 1,526 4 (Fox) $43.8 $6,875 2.”Tango & Cash” $9.6 1,556 2 (Warner) $21.8 $6,170 3.”The Little Mermaid” $9.2 1,521 7 (Disney) $49.4 $6,072 4.”Back to the Future II” $8.1 2,107 6 (Warner) $95.2 $3,865 5.”Christmas Vacation” $8.0 1,901 15 (Warner) $57.8 $4,256 *”Born on the Fourth of July” $492,236 8 2 (Universal) $.938 $61,530

SOURCE: Exhibitor Relations Co.