Thanksgiving Weekend Box Office : A Holiday Boon for Paramount

So far, the holiday season belongs to Paramount Pictures. Not only is its kooky comedy release of “The Addams Family” setting the box office on fire, the studio launches “Star Trek VI,” the latest in the popular outer space series, on Friday. Meanwhile, final figures showed that the top five grossing movies did exceptional business nationwide for the Thanksgiving weekend--a total of $79 million. But among all 18 movies in major release the gross was $99 million, compared to 20 releases for Thanksgiving 1990 that earned $111.7 million.

* Paramount’s “All I Want for Christmas,” fabricated for holiday consumption, has found a niche. Originally set for release in 1992, the film was rushed ahead. Made for $12 million, it has grossed about $12 million in four weeks of release.

Weekend Gross/ Screens/ Weeks in Movie (Studio) Total (millions) Average Release 1. “The Addams Family” $27.8 2,411 2 (Paramount) $55.6 $11,545 2. “My Girl” $17.2 2,080 1 (Columbia) $17.2 $8,276 3. “Beauty and the Beast” $15.2 1,118 3 (Disney) $26.5 $10,948 4. “Cape Fear” $13.1 1,707 3 (Universal) $39.2 $7,660 5. “For the Boys” $5.85 1,308 2 (20th Century Fox) $5.9 $4,476 * “All I Want for Christmas” $1.7 1,507 4 (Paramount) $12.3 $1,144

SOURCE: Exhibitor Relations Co.