Weekend Box Office : Grisly ‘Seven’ Outdraws ‘Showgirls’

New Line’s grisly “Seven” beat out MGM/UA’s nudity-filled “Showgirls” in the weekend box-office contest, but successful marketing allowed the critically panned “Showgirls” to distinguish itself as the biggest-opening NC-17 film ever. “Dangerous Minds” and “Babe” have both remained among the Top 10 grossing films for about two months, while “Braveheart” was re-released last week after playing 124 days in theaters. The weekend, though higher in box-office receipts than last year, was not a huge moviegoing weekend, which is typical for this time of year, said John Krier, president of Exhibitor Relations.

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Weekend Gross/ Screens/ Weeks in Movie (Studio) Total (millions) Average Release 1. “Seven” $13.9 2,441 1 (New Line) $13.9 $5,715 2. “Showgirls” $8.1 1,388 1 (MGM/UA) $8.1 $5,845 3. “To Wong Foo... “ $4.5 1,458 3 (Universal) $24.3 $3,070 4. “Dangerous Minds” $2.8 1,582 7 (Disney/Hollywood) $71.3 $1,783 5. “Clockers” $2.6 1,234 2 (Universal) $9.5 $2,140 6. “Unstrung Heroes” $2.5 576 2 (Disney/Hollywood) $2.7 $4,299 (Gramercy) $15.4 $2,252 8. “Hackers” $1.6 1,812 2 (MGM/UA) $5.8 $893 9. “Babe” $1.5 1,551 8 (Universal) $50.0 $960 10. “Braveheart” (re-release) $1.4 1,477 2 (Paramount) $64.7 $962

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SOURCE: Exhibitor Relations Co.