‘Fear’ Squeezes Out ‘Peach’ for No. 1 Spot

Paramount’s “Primal Fear” kept Disney’s “James and the Giant Peach” from bringing in the biggest box-office bounty over the weekend, retaining its top spot for the second week in a row, according to early industry estimates.

The Richard Gere courtroom thriller grossed an estimated $8.05 million; Henry Selick’s “Peach” took in about $8 million. The combination stop-action animation/live-action film, based on Roald Dahl’s children’s classic about a boy who regains his confidence after a journey in a giant peach, opened to some mixed reviews but made a strong showing in 2,262 theaters nationwide.

Some Disney competitors questioned why that company’s distribution arm, Buena Vista Pictures, didn’t open the Tim Burton-produced picture a week or two earlier to take advantage of last week’s Easter holiday season. Instead, Buena Vista chose to re-release the animated “Oliver and Company,” targeting younger audiences. Still, “Oliver” grabbed ninth place with an estimated $2.35-million gross, carrying a box-office total of about $14.7 million over the past three weeks. Buena Vista’s distribution President Dick Cook was traveling and couldn’t be reached for comment Sunday.

But “Peach” did very well compared to its 1993 stop-action predecessor, “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” which opened in only two theaters and didn’t hit the $8-million mark until its third week in release as more theaters were added.

Holding steady in third place was the MGM box-office phenomenon “The Birdcage.” The studio said the Robin Williams comedy, in its sixth week of release, brought in an estimated $7.1 million over the weekend for a cumulative $98.2-million gross. But MGM’s competitors put the three-day estimate at $6.6 million to $6.7 million, claiming the film’s ticket sales on Friday alone had dropped about 40% from the prior week. MGM distribution executives could not be reached Sunday.

Universal’s “Fear,” a parent’s worst nightmare scenario in which a father’s daughter falls for the wrong man, was in fourth place with an estimated $6.9 million for its debut weekend.

The fifth spot fell to New Line Cinema’s comedy thriller “A Thin Line Between Love & Hate,” which grossed about $5.3 million in its second week. Universal’s Steve Martin comedy “Sgt. Bilko” commanded the sixth spot on the charts with about $3.8 million. Over its three-week run, “Sgt. Bilko” has grossed about $23 million.

Tied for seventh and eight place were Miramax’s hit comedy “Flirting With Disaster” (in its fourth week) and Warner Bros.’ “Executive Decision” (in its fifth week), both grossing about $3 million.

Finishing 10th was Gramercy’s dark comedy “Fargo,” with an estimated $1.9 million in its sixth weekend.

Films that opened over the weekend but didn’t hit the top 10 list were Paramount’s “Kids in the Hall Brain Candy,” with an estimated $850,000, playing on 163 screens, and two Miramax releases: “Jane Eyre” based on Charlotte Bronte’s classic, was bringing in an estimated $267,000 on 35 screens, and “Loaded,” which only played in New York and Los Angeles, was grossing about $11,600.

Savoy Pictures’ “Getting Away With Murder” did a paltry $125,000 estimate on 155 screens. “Unfortunately, this film fell very short,” said John Krier, head of the box-office tracking firm Exhibitor Relations.