Two Men in ‘Black’ and One in a Loincloth Draw Crowds

“Men in Black” ranked No. 1 at the movie box office for the third weekend in a row, followed by the live-action adventure “George of the Jungle.”

Columbia Pictures’ “Men in Black” grossed about $19 million during the weekend, for a total of $172.1 million, according to estimates from Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc. The science-fiction comedy stars Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith as agents who monitor the activities of space aliens on Earth.

“George of the Jungle,” a Disney release based on the TV cartoon hero, took in $16.3 million during the weekend and $22.7 million since its opening Wednesday.

“That’s pretty solid for a film that was questionable as to how it would perform,” said Art Rockwell, analyst at Yaeger Capital Markets. “ ‘George’ was pretty well promoted for a somewhat broader audience, for a teenage audience, not just a kiddie one.”

“George” pushed Warner Bros.’ “Contact,” a science-fiction story about humankind’s first contact with extraterrestrials, into the No. 3 spot, where it grossed $16.1 million for the weekend. The film, directed by Robert Zemeckis and starring Jodie Foster, has grossed $47.4 million in its first two weeks.

Box offices around the country sold more tickets than during the same weekend a year ago, when the start of the Olympic Games in Atlanta diverted many consumers to their televisions.

“It was a good weekend overall, which should highlight the fact that the product in general is playing stronger,” Rockwell said.

Among new releases, “Nothing to Lose,” a Touchstone Pictures comedy starring Martin Lawrence and Tim Robbins, opened in fourth, at $11.6 million; and Dimension Films’ “Operation Condor,” with Jackie Chan, finished eighth, with $4.7 million.

Rounding out the Top 10 were Paramount’s “Face/Off,” at $9 million ($86.4 million in four weeks); TriStar’s “My Best Friend’s Wedding,” $6.8 million ($95 million in five weeks); Disney’s “Hercules,” $4.8 million ($76.4 million in four weeks); Fox’s “Out to Sea,” $3.1 million ($19 million in three weeks); and Warner Bros.’ “Batman & Robin,” $1.8 million ($102.8 million after five weeks).