‘Patriot’ Hikes Battle of Big Guns : Movies: In a promising summer, the spy thriller squares off against ‘Lethal Weapon 3’ and the more tenuous ‘Far and Away’ and ‘Alien 3’--with ‘Batman’ sequel still in the wings.

Today’s opening of “Patriot Games,” starring Harrison Ford, is expected to shake things up in a summer moviegoing season that’s been dominated so far by the enormous popularity of “Lethal Weapon 3.”

Not only will there be competition for the top spot in box-office returns between the two, but there is a behind-the-screens drama being played out over “Far and Away.”

Since “Lethal Weapon 3” opened 20 days ago, it has raced to more than $94 million in ticket sales. The movie’s big opening was a tonic for the sluggish spring box-office grosses, and its huge numbers have buoyed hopes within the industry for what is shaping up as the biggest summer in years.

Even now, after three weeks at the top, there’s little sign that the pace for Warner Bros.’ “Lethal Weapon 3” is drastically slowing.

But as Paramount Pictures’ $40-million-plus “Patriot Games” heads into theaters, many in the industry believe it has a strong shot at knocking “Lethal Weapon 3” out of the No. 1 spot.

Others expect that interest in 20th Century Fox’s “Alien 3” will continue to drop off drastically, and that there’ll be heavy pacing at Universal Pictures’ headquarters, where executives will be closely watching “Far and Away,” the $50-million-plus, Ron Howard-directed production starring Tom Cruise.

Paramount is aggressively marketing the espionage thriller “Patriot Games” and Barry London, president of Paramount’s motion picture group and worldwide distribution, said the company has ample reason to believe in the film, based on research. “We think it will draw a similar audience to that attracted to ‘The Hunt for Red October,’ ” an earlier Paramount release which, like “Patriot Games,” was based on a novel by Tom Clancy. “Red October” grossed $126 million in 1990.

“We think it will attract anyone (who’s) into the action genre, but what makes this film different is the involvement of the family and it seems to have a very strong appeal to women,” added London.

Beyond “Patriot Games,” many in the industry are eyeing the June 19 opening of Warner Bros.’ “Batman Returns” as potentially the summer’s biggest theatrical attraction. The film is a sequel to the 1989 “Batman,” which grossed a whopping $250 million.

But the thinking is that interest in “Batman Returns”--and the fact that most schools will be out by then--will bring a major expansion of the audience, which will help many films.

Questions about how well the historical epic “Far and Away” will continue to perform are being played out against a backdrop of uncertainty at MCA Inc., the parent company of the movie’s distributor, Universal, where the Japanese-based Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. is showing signs of asserting its influence. MCA officials fear that money for projects will become scarcer, especially if a costly investment like “Far and Away” doesn’t return a profit.

MCA Motion Picture Group Chairman Thomas Pollock said he’s betting that “Far and Away,” which has grossed more than $23 million after two weekends, will hold its own against the competition. “If we are able to keep it from falling more than 20% this weekend, we’ll limp to $50 million or $60 million by summer’s end,” a number he said will position the studio to realize a profit by the time worldwide and video audiences have seen it. “It’s well on its way to making back its investment . . . I’m still here,” he said, chuckling.

Some see the movie’s performance as disappointing, especially when contrasted to the splashy openings for “Lethal Weapon 3” and “Alien 3” (which has grossed about $36 million to date). Pollock doesn’t see it that way. “This is no disaster,” he said, “not for a non-sequel.

“It’s a disappointment only in the sense that you’d like every movie to do $100 million. You take your best shots with good people. It’s a good bet, to bet on (director) Ron Howard.”

Was it also a good bet to pay what some have estimated as $12 million to Cruise for his marquee value? “He’s earned every penny of what he got paid. He’s wonderful in the movie and has taken it seriously to get out and promote the movie.” Cruise has been just about everywhere lately, giving interviews and pictured on the covers of Rolling Stone, Premiere and People.

Pollock urged critics to wait until the end of summer to see the results. “Don’t write an obit for a movie that was put out as counterprogramming to male action movies. There’s no reason to believe that it won’t play.”

All of these movies are competing with an unlikely foe--a singing nun. The low-budget Disney/Touchstone Pictures comedy “Sister Act,” starring Whoopi Goldberg, opened last weekend in second place. Even rival studio executives think it will be a major summer hit.

“Sister Act” muscled its way above “Alien 3,” which stars Sigourney Weaver reprising her role as the bold heroine doing battle with attacking creatures.

Like most sequels--”Lethal Weapon 3” being an exception--”Alien 3” opened big (on Memorial Day weekend) due to its core of fans, but the film’s ticket sales dropped more than 60% last weekend.