‘Aladdin’ Finally Hits No. 1 and a Record in Sales Too

Like the lyrics in the song from “Aladdin,” moviegoers “made way for Prince Ali” during the week between Christmas and New Year’s weekend, pushing the film to a new holiday record, according to industry estimates.

It was the first time in the animated musical’s eight weeks near the top of the box-office charts that it climbed to No. 1. The movie, based on the “Arabian Nights” legends and featuring the voice of Robin Williams as Aladdin’s genie, is a product of the Walt Disney Studios.

“Aladdin” sold $32 million in tickets between Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve. That surpasses the previous industry record of $29.1 million grossed the same week in 1990 by “Home Alone.”

Last week turned out to be the “golden week” for the film, said Walt Disney Co.’s marketing president Richard Cook on Sunday, as it played to huge daily audiences due to the school holidays between Christmas and New Year’s Day.

“Aladdin’s” total take to date, according to the Walt Disney Co., stands at an estimated $115.3 million. That figure outpaces Disney’s 1991’s animated hit “Beauty and the Beast,” which had $80 million in relatively the same amount of playing time, according to Cook.

The week also saw big business for the second-place “A Few Good Men,” as well as “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York” and “The Bodyguard.”

New Year’s weekend, defined as Friday through Sunday, was not a record, according to John Krier of Exhibitor Relations Co., which tracks box-office data, but he called it a “very strong.”

For the weekend, “Aladdin” grossed an estimated $15 million, followed by Columbia Pictures’ release of Castle Rock Entertainment’s “A Few Good Men” with estimates of $14 million. The Tom Cruise-Jack Nicholson drama has so far taken in $77.2 million.

In third place was 20th Century Fox’s comedy “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York” with an estimated $10 million for the weekend and $146 million since opening Nov. 20.

According to estimates, two Warner Bros. films were fourth and fifth, respectively: “The Bodyguard” starring Kevin Costner and Whitney Houston with $8.9 million and a total of $88.5 million, and “Forever Young” with Mel Gibson and Jamie Lee Curtis, with $7.7 million and $33.6 million so far.

Among other films, “Hoffa” ranked sixth with $5.4 million, and $16 million to date. “Leap of Faith,” starring Steve Martin, and “Toys,” starring Robin Williams, both showed declines. “Faith” pulled in an estimated $3.9 million and “Toys” did $3.3 million.

In limited release, Universal Pictures’ “Scent of a Woman” with Al Pacino scored $465,000 on 20 screens, while its “Lorenzo’s Oil” did $80,000 on three screens.

TriStar Pictures’ “Chaplin” grossed $114,000 on five screens, Louis Malle’s “Damage” drew $125,000 on four screens and Kenneth Branagh’s “Peter’s Friends,” grossed $450,000 on 45 screens.