‘Sleepers’ Tops Lackluster Weekend

For the second week in a row, “Sleepers,” starring Brad Pitt, Dustin Hoffman and Robert DeNiro, was the top box-office draw, while “First Wives Club” remained in the Top 5 and continued to be the fall’s top grosser, reaching $88.7 million. But because of the glut of offerings, the weekend was lackluster. “It was sort of a flat weekend, there was so much product out there chewing each other up,” said John Krier, president of Exhibitor Relations. Meanwhile, Fox’s “Independence Day” became the sixth picture ever to hit $300 million in domestic box-office receipts. (The other five are “E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial,” “Jurassic Park,” “Forrest Gump,” “Star Wars” and “The Lion King.”)

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Weekend Gross/ Screens/ Weeks in Movie (Studio) Total (millions) Average Release 1. “Sleepers” $9.6 2,080 2 (Warner Bros.) $26.4 $4,618 2. “High School High” $6.3 2,146 1 (Sony/TriStar) $6.3 $2,941 3. “Stephen King’s Thinner” $5.7 2,009 1 (Paramount) $5.7 $2,827 4. “The Ghost and the Darkness” $4.4 2,202 3 (Paramount) $26.8 $1,994 5. “First Wives Club” $4.4 2,406 6 (Paramount) $88.7 $1,820 6. “The Associate” $4.3 1,781 1 (Disney/Buena Vista) $4.3 $2,393 7. “The Long Kiss Goodnight” $3.7 2,302 3 (New Line) $25.3 $1,596 8. “Michael Collins” $2.4 748 3 (Warner Bros.) $2.9 $3,222 9. “That Thing You Do!” $2.0 1,586 4 (Fox) $20.6 $1,293 10. “D3: The Mighty Ducks” $1.7 1,817 4 (Disney/Buena Vista) $18.2 $911

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SOURCE: Exhibitor Relations Co.