WEEKEND BOX OFFICE : ‘Darkman’ Shines Among New Releases

“Darkman,” with $8 million in grosses, was the darkhorse winner at the national box office, arriving with little fanfare and a cast topped by Liam Neeson as a disfigured scientist who assumes the identities of his enemies. Other new releases fared less well: “Men at Work,” featuring brothers Emilio Estevez and Charlie Sheen, took in $3.2 million; “Witches,” the Jim Henson-produced fantasy, drew an estimated $2.2 million; the Chuck Norris actioner, “Delta Force II,” drew $1.85 million; and “Pump Up the Volume,” with Christian Slater, managed only $1.6 million. Meanwhile, “The Exorcist III,” which last week topped the box-office chart, took a nosedive to sixth place, conjuring up $3.6 million.

* “Akira Kurosawa’s Dreams,” drew a strong $104,000 at seven theaters while David Lynch’s “Wild at Heart” dropped substantially in its second weekend--grossing $1.68, compared to $2.9 million the first week.

Movie Weekend Screens/ Weeks in Total (Studio) Gross Average Release Gross 1.”Darkman” $8 1,786 1 $8 (Universal) Million $4,510 Million 2.”Ghost” $7.4 1,766 7 $111.5 (Paramount) Million $4,233 Million 3.”Flatliners” $5 1,464 3 $32.3 (Columbia) Million $3,422 Million 4.”Presumed Innocent” $4.6 1,327 5 $59.5 (Warner Bros.) Million $3,501 Million 5.”My Blue Heaven” $3.7 1,868 2 $13.2 (Warner Bros.) Million $2,022 Million *”Akira Kurosawa’s Dreams” $104,000 7 1 $104,000 (Warner Bros.) $14,848

SOURCES: Exhibitor Relations Co.