The Cash Registers Are Ringing
For the 19th straight week, box office was up over the equivalent week in 1995--a trend Exhibitor Relations president John Krier chalks up to the varied moviegoing marketplace. “You’ve got everything out there--comedies, romances, action films,” he said. “It’s almost like the summertime.”
Of the new entries, Universal’s “Sgt. Bilko” came in No. 2 after “The Birdcage,” which led the pack for the fourth straight week. MGM/UA’s “A Family Thing,” starring Robert Duvall and James Earl Jones, turned in a solid performance on just over 1,100 screens. In a crowded children’s field, Disney’s re-release of the animated “Oliver & Company” edged out “All Dogs Go to Heaven 2.”
Of the high-profile Oscar winners, “Braveheart’s” weekend take shot up 158% on 204 additional screens, bringing its cumulative total to $74.1 million, while “Leaving Las Vegas” and “Dead Man Walking” increased by 22% and 15% respectively.
*--*
Weekend Gross/ Screens/ Weeks in Movie (Studio) Total (millions) Average Release 1. “The Birdcage” $10.1 2,236 4 (MGM/UA) $74.6 $4,519 2. “Sgt. Bilko” $8.1 2,304 1 (Universal) $8.1 $3,520 3. “Executive Decision” $6.9 2,289 3 (Warner Bros.) $35.8 $3,021 4. “Oliver & Company” $4.5 2,180 1 (Walt Disney) $4.5 $2,060 5. “Diabolique” $3.5 1,824 2 (Warner Bros.) $10.7 $1,894 6. “A Family Thing” $3.0 1,134 1 (MGM/UA) $3.0 $2,663 7. “Up Close and Personal” $2.8 1,509 5 (Disney/Touchstone) $40.0 $1,848 8. “Fargo” $2.7 596 4 (Gramercy) $8.7 $4,538 9. “All Dogs Go to Heaven 2” $2.3 2,037 1 (MGM/UA) $2.3 $1,108 10. “Homeward Bound II” $2.0 1,786 4 (Walt Disney) $25.5 $1,113
*--*
SOURCE: Exhibitor Relations Co.
More to Read
Only good movies
Get the Indie Focus newsletter, Mark Olsen's weekly guide to the world of cinema.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.