Weekend Box Office : Senate Hearings Hurt Ticket Sales

Business over the weekend was pretty dull, with competition coming from the televised Senate Judiciary Committee hearings and baseball playoffs. “The Fisher King,” starring Robin Williams and Jeff Bridges, held onto first place, despite a 27% drop in its gross from the previous week. Underscoring the current box-office blues, “Frankie & Johnny,” starring such high-powered names as Al Pacino and Michelle Pfeiffer, could only muster enough for third place in its opening weekend.

* The strong but limited opening of Jodie Foster’s “Little Man Tate” in seven theaters nationwide has box-office watchers buzzing about its potential as it expands to 300 screens Friday.

Weekend Gross/ Screens/ Weeks in Movie (Studio) Total (millions) Average Release 1. “The Fisher King” $4.5 1,546 4 (Tri-Star) $22.4 $2,915 2. “Ricochet” $4.4 1,560 2 (Warner Bros.) $10.7 $2,800 3. “Frankie & Johnny” $4.26 1,150 1 (Paramount) $4.26 $3,700 4. “Ernest Scared Stupid” $4 1,782 1 (Touchstone) $4 $2,210 5. “Deceived” $3.6 1,198 3 (Touchstone) $15.8 $2,989 * “Little Man Tate” $251,075 7 1 (Orion) $251,075 $35,868

SOURCE: Exhibitor Relations Co.