‘Space Jam’ Proves a Slam Dunk for Bugs

Stealing a page in the record books from Disney, Warner Bros.’ “Space Jam,” starring Michael Jordan and the Looney Tunes characters, took in an estimated $29.25 million this weekend at the nation’s box office. It was the biggest non-summer opening ever for an animated film.

“Space Jam’s” total topped Disney’s “Toy Story” opener of $29.14 million last year and the $19.3-million “Aladdin” debut in 1992. The Warner movie’s first weekend ranks third overall among animated releases, trailing Disney’s “The Lion King,” which opened at $40.9 million in 1994, and last year’s “Pocahontas,” which took in $29.53 million.

Warner Bros.’ executives were gloating Sunday over their first effort at adapting the lucrative Looney Tunes franchise into a feature film. The studio had to launch a new division to produce the $90-million-plus animated/live-action picture. (“Who Framed Roger Rabbit,” which also combined animation and live action, opened in June 1988 at $11.2 million.)

“With ‘Ransom’ out there, we thought we would see about $20 million, not this,” said “Space Jam” producer Ivan Reitman. “What I found from the audience exit polls was a stronger response to this movie than any of my other films, including ‘Ghostbusters.’ You may think this is a movie for kids or teens; this is the Bugs of the ‘40s, flip and hip, cracking jokes that speaks to adults. It plays both ways.”

And it didn’t hurt to have one of the world’s most popular athletes in a starring role. But for Warner Bros. the tally meant simply: “Bugs has pierced Mickey’s empire,” Barry Reardon, the studio’s distribution head, said with a laugh. “And believe me, that is tough to do.”

But Disney was strutting its own hit this weekend with “Ransom,” which was second at $23 million. In two weeks, the Mel Gibson child-kidnapping drama has accumulated about $68 million.

In third was Barbra Streisand’s “The Mirror Has Two Faces” with about a $12.2-million box office, the best opening ever for a Streisand film. It is the first release from former TriStar Pictures Chairman Mike Medavoy’s Phoenix Pictures, and was produced jointly with TriStar.

“ ‘Mirror’ definitely reflects Barbra’s best,” said Sony distribution head Jeff Blake. “We expect a steady run that should build based on her other pictures. ‘Prince of Tides,’ which had been her best, opened to $10 million in Christmas ’91 and it went on to make $74.8 million.

“We expect this could do the same since adult romantic comedies tend to have a strong holding pattern. You know you hate competing against movies like ‘Ransom’ and ‘Space Jam’ but it sure is nice to have a solid piece of a big market. ‘Ransom’ brought the market back to life.”

Although it didn’t make the top 10 list, Miramax’s critically praised “The English Patient” had a very strong opening of $265,000 in 10 theaters. Since the showings in New York, Los Angeles and Toronto were so positive, the film will expand to 50 cities Friday and will be in 500 theaters by Thanksgiving and showing nationwide by Christmas.

As for those that made the top 10: “Set It Off” was in fourth with $5.8 million, grossing about $20.7 million in its second week; “William Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet” was in fifth with $5.6 million; “Sleepers” was in sixth with $2.3 million; “High School High” ranked seventh with $1.6 million; “The First Wives Club” was in eighth with $1.57 million and is expected to hit $100 million this week; “The Ghost and the Darkness” was in ninth at about $1.04 million; and “Michael Collins” pulled in 10th with $850,000.

Since these are weekend box-office estimates, actual results will be released today.