WEEKEND BOX OFFICE : Moviegoers Go for the Laughs

The kids may be back in school, but kid comedies still dominated the weekend box office. For the eighth weekend in a row, the season’s urprise hit “Home Alone” was ranked No. 1, with ticket sales of $12.6 million, while “Kindergarten Cop”--starring Arnold Schwarzenegger--climbed to second place with receipts of $9.4 million. In its third weekend, “The Godfather Part III” slipped to third--a tumble of about 38% tumble over the previous week--with receipts of $8.2 million.

* Director Peter Weir’s comedy “Green Card,” about a marriage of convenience that blossoms into love, continued to bring in big numbers--$99,583 on three screens. Starring Gerard Depardieu and Andie MacDowell, it opens in several hundred theaters on Friday.

Movie Weekend Screens/ Weeks in Total (Studio) Gross Average Release Gross 1. “Home Alone” $12.6 2,173 8 $168.6 (20th Century Fox) Million $5,811 Million 2. “Kindergarten Cop” $9.4 1,929 3 $44.7 (Universal Pictures) Million $4,900 Million 3. “The Godfather Part III” $8.3 1,922 3 $44.7 (Paramount Pictures) Million $4,314 Million 4. “Dances With Wolves” $7.3 1,282 9 $71.1 (Orion Pictures) Million $5,717 Million 5. “Edward Scissorhands” $5.1 1,267 5 $33.7 (20th Century Fox) $4,026 Million * “Green Card” $92,523 2 3 $356,508 (Buena Vista) $46,261

SOURCES: Exhibitor Relations Co.