‘Cable Guy’ No. 1 in Down Weekend

“The Cable Guy” opened at $19.8 million, slightly less than star Jim Carrey’s record-breaking $20-million salary for the dark comedy. Per screen, the action thriller “The Rock” fared slightly better. Overall, the weekend was down from last year at this time when another Carrey vehicle, “Batman Forever,” opened at $52 million. This is only the second weekend of the year in which box office figures have been down from 1995.

* Bernardo Bertolucci’s “Stealing Beauty,” which stars Liv Tyler and Jeremy Irons, opened strongly with $103,000 in only three New York theaters. It starts in Los Angeles Friday and rolls out nationally June 28.

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Three-Day Gross/ Screens/ Weeks in Movie (Studio) Total (millions) Average Release 1.”The Cable Guy” $19.8 2,657 1 (Sony) $19.8 $7,454 2.”The Rock” $18.5 2,415 2 (Disney/Hollywood) $56.0 $7,666 3.”Mission: Impossible” $8.6 2,893 4 (Paramount) $145.0 $3,007 4.”Twister” $7.7 2,808 6 (Warner Bros.) $200.0 $2,747 5.”Dragonheart” $4.6 2,193 3 (Universal) $35.0 $2,075 6.”Eddie” $3.4 1,959 3 (Disney/Hollywood) $22.3 $1,713 7.”The Phantom” $3.0 2,163 2 (Paramount) $10.1 $1,423 8.”Spy Hard” $1.3 1,516 4 (Disney/Hollywood) $23.8 $837 9.”The Arrival” $1.1 1,134 3 (Orion) $11.0 $1,000 10.”Moll Flanders” $955,606 280 1 (MGM/UA) $955,606 $3,393 *”Stealing Beauty” $103,000 3 1 (Fox Searchlight) $103,000 $34,533

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SOURCE: Exhibitor Relations Co.