Columbia Leads With ‘Risk,’ ‘Fly Away’

Columbia Pictures earned the top two spots at the box office with movies targeting vastly different audiences. “Maximum Risk,” the Jean-Claude Van Damme action film, came in first; in second was “Fly Away Home,” the story of a young girl who helps a flock of wild geese migrate south. The success came just as studio chief Mark Canton was ousted by Sony. “A Time to Kill,” with $2.8 million over the weekend, passed the $100-million threshold, while “Independence Day” continued its march to $300 million domestically, taking in $2.1 million. “American Buffalo” ($5,659 per screen in 29 theaters) and “Grace of My Heart” ($3,695 per screen in 47 theaters) arrived in limited release. Overall, the box-office take was up less than 10% over the corresponding weekend last year, according to John Krier, president of Exhibitor Relations. “This is a slow time of the year because of the Jewish holidays, but we’re still up for the year,” he said.

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Weekend Gross/ Screens/ Weeks in Movie (Studio) Total (millions) Average Release 1. “Maximum Risk” $5.6 2,358 1 (Sony/Columbia) $5.6 $2,380 2. “Fly Away Home” $4.7 1,320 1 (Sony/Columbia) $4.7 $3,567 3. “Bulletproof” $4.1 2,242 2 (Universal) $11.9 $1,830 4. “Tin Cup” $3.3 1,930 5 (Warner Bros.) $46.7 $1,724 5. “Rich Man’s Wife” $3.12 1,006 1 (Hollywood Pictures) $3.1 $3,113 6. “First Kid” $3.11 1,873 3 (Walt Disney) $17.4 $1,662 7. “A Time to Kill” $2.8 1,836 8 (Warner Bros.) $101.0 $1,546 8. “The Spitfire Grill” $2.4 1,247 3 (Sony/Castle Rock) $7.5 $1,951 9. “Independence Day” $2.1 1,511 11 (Fox) $288.4 $1,366 10. “Jack” $2.0 1,879 6 (Hollywood Pictures) $52.0 $1,070 * “Emma” $1.4 848 6 (Miramax) $18 $1,742

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* “Emma,” the latest Jane Austen adaptation, starring Gwyneth Paltrow, continues to draw respectable-sized crowds in limited release.

SOURCE: Exhibitor Relations Co.