Cruising Into First Place

With attendance up about 11%, 1996 has already passed last year’s record-setting box-office total. This week was up 13% over the comparable period in 1995.

Riding excellent reviews and a critically acclaimed performance by Tom Cruise, “Jerry Maguire” easily led the pack. A romantic comedy set in the sports world, the film appealed primarily to women--the actor’s core audience--but attracted more men than usual for a Cruise project, according to a source close to the film.

Though the Sylvester Stallone thriller “Daylight” dropped considerably in its second week, Tim Burton’s quirky “Mars Attacks!” and Penny Marshall’s “The Preacher’s Wife” opened relatively well in a week when moviegoing traditionally takes a back seat to shopping, Exhibitor Relations’ John Krier said.

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Three-day Gross/ Screens/ Weeks in Movie (Studio) Total (millions) Average Release 1. “Jerry Maguire” $17.1 2,531 1 (TriStar) $17.1 $6,750 2. “Mars Attacks!” $9.4 1,955 1 (Warner Bros.) $9.4 $4,800 3. “101 Dalmatians” $8.9 2,841 3 (Walt Disney) $75.6 $3,144 4. “The Preacher’s Wife” $7.6 1,783 1 (Disney/Touchstone) $7.6 $4,290 5. “Daylight” $4.1 2,189 2 (Universal) $16.7 $1,890 6. “Jingle All the Way” $4.1 2,319 4 (Fox) $43.3 $1,747 7. “Star Trek: First Contact” $3.5 2,607 4 (Paramount) $76.7 $1,317 8. “Ransom” $3.0 1,823 6 (Disney/Touchstone) $117.5 $1,635 9. “Space Jam” $2.3 2,232 5 (Warner Bros.) $76.5 $1,052 10. “The English Patient” $1.8 683 5 (Miramax) $16.0 $2,606

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SOURCE: Exhibitor Relations Co.