‘Miss Daisy’ Keeps on Driving in No. 1 Position

Fueled by its nine Academy Award nominations, Warner Bros.’ “Driving Miss Daisy” continued on its box office roll over the holiday weekend. The No. 1 film at the box office, “Daisy’s” ticket sales jumped an estimated 44% over the previous weekend.

In contrast, Universal Pictures’ “Born on the Fourth of July”--which earned eight Oscar nominations--ranked No. 5 and jumped only an estimated 22% over the previous weekend.

“Driving Miss Daisy,” an uplifting comedy-drama about the decadeslong relationship between an eccentric Southern Jewish matron (Jessica Tandy) and her patient black chauffeur (Morgan Freeman), earned more than $10 million over the four days, for total ticket sales of more than $43 million. Tandy, Freeman and co-star Dan Aykroyd were all nominated for acting awards.

Ticket sales for “Fourth of July,” which chronicles Ron Kovic’s grim odyssey from gung-ho soldier to anti-war activist, were an estimated $4.3 million, for cumulative receipts of about $53 million.

Among new and recent entries, “Hard to Kill” continued to prove hard to beat.

Starring Steven Seagal as a hotshot cop out to get even with “the bad guys,” the Warner Bros.’ release claimed the No. 2 spot with an estimated $8.7 million in ticket sales. In just two weeks, “Hard to Kill” has earned about $18 million.

Columbia Pictures’ “Revenge,” starring Kevin Costner, opened to about $6.4 million in ticket sales, for the No. 3 spot. In fourth place was Orion Pictures’ comedy with John Larroquette and Kirstie Alley, “Madhouse,” with ticket sales of more than $5 million.