WEEKEND BOX OFFICE : ‘Darkman’ Vanishes From Top Spot

Paramount Pictures’ romantic fantasy “Ghost” once again materialized in the No. 1 spot--scaring Universal Pictures’ thriller “Darkman” off the berth it occupied the previous week. With four-day holiday weekend receipts of $9.9 million, “Ghost” has now sold more than $125 million in tickets--making it the summer’s top-grossing film. Meanwhile, in its second week, the late-summer entry “Darkman” proved surprisingly tough, dropping less than 5% from its opening weekend.

* Miramax’s “The Lemon Sisters,” a comedy about longtime friends Diane Keaton, Carol Kane and Kathryn Grody set against the backdrop of Atlantic City, opened with lackluster ticket sales of an estimated $2.1 million on 598 screens--about $3,548 per screen.

Movie Weekend Screens/ Weeks in Total (Studio) Gross Average Release Gross 1.”Ghost” $9.9 1,766 8 $125 (Paramount) Million $5,636 Million 2.”Darkman” $7.9 1,833 2 $19.1 (Universal) Million $4,330 Million 3.”Presumed Innocent” $5.8 1,355 6 $67.4 (Warner Bros.) Million $4,319 Million 4.”Flatliners” $5.2 1,479 4 $40 (Columbia) Million $3,536 Million 5.”My Blue Heaven” $3.1 1,502 3 $17.9 (Warner Bros.) Million $2,118 Million *”The Lemon Sisters” $2.1 598 1 $2.1 (Miramax) Million $3,548 Million