WEEKEND BOX OFFICE : ‘Jacob’s Ladder’ on Top Rung

“Jacob’s Ladder,” the Adrian Lyne-directed psychological thriller starring Tim Robbins as a hallucinating Vietnam veteran, was No. 1 at the weekend box office with ticket sales of $7.5 million. But if “Jacob’s Ladder” climbed the top rung, “Ghost” snatched the spotlight, surpassing “Pretty Woman” to become the year’s top-grossing film. With ticket sales of $180.6 million, “Ghost” is now the 12th highest-grossing film of all time in North America.

* Prince’s rock ‘n roll drama, “Graffiti Bridge” had ticket sales of $2.4 million on 688 screens--for an eighth place ranking, and a per-screen average of $3,557. The Warner Bros. film is the third for the rocker, who scored a hit with 1984’s “Purple Rain” and bombed with 1986’s “Under the Cherry Moon.”

Movie Weekend Screens/ Weeks in Total (Studio) Gross Average Release Gross 1. “Jacob’s Ladder” $7.5 1,052 1 $7.5 (Tri-Star) Million $7,130 Million 2. “Sibling Rivalry” $3.24 1,603 2 $8.4 (Columbia) Million $2,248 Million 3. “Ghost” $3.21 1,713 17 $180.6 (Paramount) Million $1,879 Million 4. “White Palace” $3.0 892 3 $9.0 (Universal) Million $3,370 Million 5. “Marked for Death” $2.58 1,553 5 $37.5 (Fox) Million $1,664 Million * “Graffiti Bridge” $2.44 688 1 $2.44 (Warner Bros) Million $3,557

SOURCES: Exhibitor Relations Co.