SHORT TAKES : ‘Born on the Fourth of July’ Keeps No. 1 Spot at Box Office

Oliver Stone’s “Born on the Fourth of July,” which finally got into the award winner’s circle Saturday when it picked up four Hollywood Foreign Press Assn. Golden Globes, clung to the No. 1 spot on the nation’s box office chart, grossing $6.4 million during its fifth weekend in release.

“Born on the Fourth of July” has been shut out of major awards by the various critics organizations but was named best picture of the year by the foreign press group, whose members also selected Stone as the year’s best director and star Tom Cruise as the year’s best actor. The film has done steady business at the box office during its 33 days in release and has grossed more than $30 million.

Three other holdovers--the police action films “Tango and Cash” and “Internal Affairs” and the marriage-is-hell comedy “The War of the Roses”--nearly tied for second, third and fourth place with a little more than $4 million each. Universal Pictures, which claims to have pictures playing on 30% of the nation’s screens, got a cool box office reception for its well-reviewed horror spoof “Tremors,” which took in $3.8 million at 1,473 theaters.

Orion Pictures’ “Everybody Wins,” a drama starring Nick Nolte and Debra Winger, was the weekend’s biggest loser, taking in $614,000 at 451 theaters, an average of just $1,361.