Weekend Box Office : ‘Volcano’ Helps to Fire Up Weekend

Box office was up for the 14th weekend in a row, hoisting this year’s attendance figures nearly 20% over last year.

“Volcano,” starring Tommy Lee Jones and Anne Heche, led the pack. But the opening was less impressive than some had anticipated. “Relative to the cost of the picture and the enormous marketing campaign, the numbers weren’t terrific,” said John Krier, president of Exhibitor Relations, a firm that monitors box office. “ ‘Dante’s Peak,’ a volcano movie that opened to $18.5 million in February, may have taken the edge off a bit.”

Another newcomer, “Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion” with Mira Sorvino and Lisa Kudrow, debuted well while “Anaconda,” aimed at the same audience as “Volcano,” held its own. “Scream” is vindicating Miramax Films’ decision to expand the release pattern more than four months after the movie opened. And “Liar Liar,” the top-grossing film of the year, continues to generate a lot of repeat business.

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Three-day gross/ Screens/ Weeks in Movie (Studio) Total (millions) Average Release 1. “Volcano” $14.6 2,774 1 (Fox) $14.6 $5,257 2. “Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion” $7.4 1,602 1 (Disney/Touchstone) $7.4 $4,638 3. “Anaconda” $7.3 2,456 3 (Columbia) $43.2 $2,980 4. “Liar Liar” $7.2 2,863 6 (Universal) $143.9 $2,510 5. “The Saint” $5.0 2,500 4 (Paramount) $48.2 $2,003 6. “Murder at 1600” $4.8 2,158 2 (Warner Bros.) $15.3 $2,236 7. “Grosse Pointe Blank” $3.1 1,242 3 (Disney/Hollywood) $18.2 $2,495 8. “Scream” $1.4 1,216 19 (Miramax) $93.0 $1,156 9. “The Devil’s Own” $1.2 1,270 5 (Columbia) $41.0 $909 10. “Chasing Amy” $1.1 553 4 (Miramax) $3.9 $2,010

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SOURCE: Exhibitor Relations Co.