‘Fourth of July’ Starts 1990 Box-Office Year With Bang

The 1990 box-office season started off with a bang, as Universal Picture’s “Born on the Fourth of July,” the story of disabled Vietnam veteran Ron Kovic, opened on 1,310 screens for $11 million, an average of $8,415 per screen.

Tom Cruise also led at this time in 1989 with “Rain Man,” which grossed $9.2 million then in its fourth week. According to Exhibitor Relations Co., the overall numbers for the first box-office weekend of 1990 were stronger than the same weekend last year, which went on to become a record-breaking season in Hollywood.

The black comedy “The War of the Roses,” starring Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner as destructive divorcees, is expected to finish second for the weekend with an estimated $6.8 million. Action figures Sylvester Stallone and Kurt Russell captured the No. 3 spot with “Tango & Cash” at $6.6 million. Director Steven Spielberg’s other-worldly romance “Always” came in No. 4 with $4.6 million on 1,124 screens.

Walt Disney Studios says “The Little Mermaid,” with a weekend take of $4.6 million, became the highest-grossing animated film by any studio--excluding reissues. The musical fairy tale has grossed a total of $56.1 million, topping the previous record-holder, Disney’s “Oliver and Company” at $53.8 million.