Weekend Box Office : ‘Proposal’ Still Doing Indecent Business

Fueled by a controversial script and big-star appeal, “Indecent Proposal” turned in another impressive performance at the box office, leading the pack for the fourth week in a row. The film, about a wealthy man (Robert Redford) who offers $1 million to sleep with another man’s wife (Demi Moore), was panned by many critics but has turned into the year’s top-grossing film. To date, “Indecent Proposal” has taken in more than $70 million and is expected to eventually pass the $100-million mark. “It’s one of those things where the critics will damn a picture, like ‘The Bodyguard’ last year, and all it does is business,” said John Krier of Exhibitor Relations Co., which tracks box-office performance.

“Sidekicks,” a martial-arts film starring Chuck Norris, came in a distant second with $3.8 million at the box office, while Touchstone Pictures’ “Indian Summer” grossed $3.1 million in its second week. The top-grossing newcomer was “Three of Hearts,” a film about a woman who tries to win back her female lover by getting a man to woo her and then break her heart.

(For a studio-by-studio analysis of the weekend’s box office, see the Times Film Index in Company Town, D4.)

Weekend Box Office

Weekend Gross/ Screens/ Weeks in Movie (Studio) Total (millions) Average Release 1. “Indecent Proposal” $7.1 1,922 4 (Paramount) $71.5 $3,688 2. “Sidekicks” $3.8 1,214 4 (Triumph) $5.3 $3,102 3. “Indian Summer” $3.1 1,401 2 (Touchstone) $7.5 $2,241 4. “Benny & Joon” $3 1,314 3 (MGM) $12.3 $2,343 5. “The Sandlot” $2.5 1,758 4 (Fox) $21 $1,435 6. “Who’s the Man” $2.2 954 2 (New Line) $7.5 $2,256 7. “Three of Hearts” $1.9 792 1 (New Line) $1.9 $2,434 8. “The Dark Half” $1.9 1,561 2 (Orion) $6.1 $1,234 9. “Splitting Heirs” $1.7 850 1 (Universal) $1.7 $2,045 10. “Cop and a Half” $1.7 1,682 5 (Universal) $22.9 $1,000 * “Bound by Honor” $1.0 391 1 (Hollywood) $1.3 $2,564

SOURCE: Exhibitor Relations Co.