Weekend Box Office : Disney Divisions Animate Top 10

Not only did “The Hand That Rocks the Cradle” keep its grip on first place for a fourth consecutive weekend, the nail-biting suspense thriller starring Rebecca De Mornay actually pulled off a nearly unheard of feat: It improved business, if slightly, over the preceding weekend. Typically, movies go on a downward curve after the first weekend, but “Cradle” is bucking that trend, according to theater owners, who say the movie benefits from strong word of mouth. It’s the first bona-fide hit in a long while from the fledgling Hollywood Pictures division of Walt Disney Studios.

“Beauty and the Beast,” from Disney’s Walt Disney Pictures division, moved beyond the magical $100-million mark in its 12th weekend, making it the first animated movie ever to achieve that level in first-run theatrical distribution. Richard Cook, Disney’s president of distribution, said on Monday that he expects the musical fairy tale to play through spring. “We’re really entering uncharted territory on this one, as the movie is significantly bigger than any previous animated film.” Disney’s most recent animated film, 1989’s “The Little Mermaid,” ran in theaters for nearly six months and grossed $84 million.

The Disney group finds itself in the rare situation of having three films in the Top 10. Besides “Cradle” and “Beauty,” the studio’s third division, Touchstone, has the Steve Martin comedy “Father of the Bride,” still ringing bells in fourth place after seven weeks.

Overall, national ticket sales continued sluggish but typical for the post-holiday period. “Fried Green Tomatoes” posted a gain primarily by increasing the number of screens from 672 to 1,045.

* “Hard Promises,” a romantic comedy with Sissy Spacek and William Petersen, opened to soft numbers.

Weekend Gross/ Screens/ Weeks in Movie (Studio) Total (millions) Average Release 1. “Hand That Rocks the Cradle” $8.1 1,759 4 (Hollywood) $42.8 $4,617 2. “Fried Green Tomatoes” $6.7 1,048 6 (Universal) $16.8 $6,370 3. “Shining Through” $6.4 1,432 1 (Fox) $6.4 $4,474 4. “Father of the Bride” $3.82 1,694 7 (Touchstone) $68.7 $2,255 5. “Grand Canyon” $3.62 1,223 6 (Fox) $20.5 $2,967 6. “Hook” $3.2 1,836 8 (TriStar) $107.3 $1,760 7. “JFK” $3.18 1,395 7 (Warner Bros.) $54.7 $2,284 8. “Beauty and the Beast” $3.3 1,648 12 (Disney) $103.4 $1,988 9.”The Prince of Tides” $3.02 1,546 6 (Columbia) $56.4 $1,956 10. “Juice” $2.1 1,079 3 (Paramount) $14.8 $1,946 * “Hard Promises” $182,574 142 1 (Columbia) $182,574 $1,286

SOURCE: Exhibitor Relations Co.