Box Office Drop Less Than First Feared : Movies: Despite a 20% drop in U.S. moviegoing receipts after the earthquake and the East Coast cold wave, retailers are optimistic.

Southern California’s earthquake and a brutal cold wave gripping the Eastern half of the country served up a one-two punch this week on the movie industry, but the economic impact was less than feared.

Overall, the nation’s box-office grosses on Tuesday totaled $5.4 million, a plunge of about 20% from a routine Tuesday, according to John Krier, owner of Exhibitor Relations Co., a firm that tracks box office.

But in Los Angeles, which accounts for 5% to 8% of the nation’s movie box office, business in quake-affected areas on Monday and Tuesday plunged “100%,” said Marcy Polier, president of Entertainment Data Inc. In surrounding counties, box-office attendance was off about 50%.

In the sprawling San Fernando Valley, where Monday’s 6.6 temblor shook apart buildings, roads and lives, an initial dusk-to-dawn curfew coupled with a nerve-rattled populace virtually wiped out moviegoing both Monday and Tuesday.

“I understand the Valley is pretty much shut down,” said Dick Cook, president of distribution for Disney. “Many theaters are closed and those that aren’t, people have their minds set on things other than going to the movies.” A number of San Fernando Valley theaters shut down on Tuesday. But officials at some theater chains said they hoped to reopen on Friday.

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Despite the downturn, TriStar Pictures’ “Philadelphia,” the Tom Hanks-Denzel Washington courtroom drama about AIDS, brought in a healthy $2 million on Monday and Tuesday. The midweek totals brought the film’s grosses to $15.8 million, making it the nation’s top money maker, after only five days of wide release.

Rob Friedman, president of worldwide advertising at Warner Bros., which has “The Pelican Brief” and “Grumpy Old Men” in release, reported that “Business is good, but we don’t know if it would be better. . . . One is to assume that the bitter cold is affecting evening business and, clearly, the earthquake hurt business in Southern California but, by and large, it’s pretty good. We’re not disappointed at all.”

A minimal amount of damage was caused when a pipe burst in the 1,000-seat El Capitan Theatre in the heart of Hollywood, causing water to leak into the lobby. Officials at Disney, which restored the theater at a reported cost of $6 million, said some of the building’s facade also fell into the street. City building inspectors examined the structure and said it was safe for occupancy, but Disney officials said it would remain closed until Friday so that its own inspectors could make sure the site was OK.

At AMC Theatres, assistant divisions operations manager Nora Dashwood said that on the day of the earthquake, all AMC Los Angeles-area theaters were closed and remained closed on Tuesday. But the Century City 14 and Burbank 14 were open by Wednesday. By Friday, other locations in Santa Monica and Burbank should be open.

With Los Angeles County as the exception, however, Dashwood said theater attendance throughout the rest of the Western United States was normal.

In the East, where dozens of deaths have been blamed on the cold snap that began Sunday, weather conditions hampered moviegoing as record low temperatures closed schools, businesses, road and airports. Thousands of people were without electricity and drinking water.

The Plaza Theatre in Burlington, Wis., was one of hundreds of theaters closing down or curtailing their schedules due to the extreme cold.

Barrie Loeks, co-chairman of New York-based Loews Theaters, said the weather forced closure of several of the circuit’s 900 screens, primarily in the Northeast.

“We actually have theaters that can’t open in the Washington and Baltimore areas due to frozen pipes and rolling electric brownouts,” Loeks said, estimating the chain’s business was down by 10% to 15% overall.

“It’s been mixed results,” she said. “In some areas of the Northeast where the kids are out of school and the weather’s bad, but bearable, it may have helped business . . . but the overall drop is not all that bad considering the terrible weather.”

Bruce Olson, president of Marcus Theaters in Milwaukee, said school closures have helped matinee and evening business, despite the cold weather.

“On balance, we may be having a better week,” Olson said. “Mom and Dad may be getting cabin fever and they’re going out.”

“In Chicago, it was too cold for kids to stay out and wait for the bus,” said one movie exhibitor. “In New York and Washington, D.C., there was heavy ice coverage. Yet, even with all these, a lot of people went to the movies--even in their ski boots.”