Weekend Box Office : ‘Seven’ Holds Onto Its First-Place Spot

New Line’s “Seven,” a gritty psychological thriller, was on top for the third week running. In 1995, that feat has been matched by “Outbreak” and “Mortal Kombat” and exceeded only by “Apollo 13,” which came in No. 1 four weeks in a row.

Of the new entries, “Assassins” and “Dead Presidents” also performed well, although the former remains one of the lowest Stallone openings ever. “How to Make an American Quilt,” with a multiple generation female cast, debuted relatively well considering that the title and the subject matter make the male audience a tough sell. Riding disastrous reviews and equally poor word of mouth, the NC-17 “Showgirls” plunged 54% in its third week out.

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Weekend Gross/ Screens/ Movie (Studio) Total (millions) Average 1. “Seven” $10.4 2,511 (New Line) $45.5 $4,150 2. “Assassins” $9.4 2,343 (Warner Bros.) $9.4 $4,003 3. “Dead Presidents” $7.9 1,081 (Disney/Hollywood) $8.5 $7,349 4. “To Die For” $6.2 928 (Columbia) $6.9 $6,715 5. “How to Make an American Quilt” $5.8 1,504 (Universal) $5.8 $3,850 6. “The Big Green” $3.9 2,072 (Walt Disney) $9.5 $1,882 7. “Devil in a Blue Dress” $3.0 1,432 (TriStar) $10.0 $2,103 8. “Halloween: The Curse” $2.5 1,679 (Miramax) $11.0 $1,467 9. “To Wong Foo....” $1.9 1,412 (Universal) $31.2 $1,325 10. “Showgirls” $1.8 1,287 (MGM) $17.8 1,384

Weeks in Movie (Studio) Release 1. “Seven” 3 (New Line) 2. “Assassins” 1 (Warner Bros.) 3. “Dead Presidents” 1 (Disney/Hollywood) 4. “To Die For” 2 (Columbia) 5. “How to Make an American Quilt” 1 (Universal) 6. “The Big Green” 2 (Walt Disney) 7. “Devil in a Blue Dress” 2 (TriStar) 8. “Halloween: The Curse” 2 (Miramax) 9. “To Wong Foo....” 5 (Universal) 10. “Showgirls” 3 (MGM)

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SOURCE: Exhibitor Relations Co.