‘Troopers’ No. 1, but ‘Bean’ Counts

The soldiers--and giant bugs--of “Starship Troopers” marched over the competition this weekend at the movie box office, hauling in a $22-million booty for Sony-owned TriStar Pictures.

The strong opening of the heavily hyped and widely released “Starship Troopers” is hardly surprising.

The formula--earthlings fight off space invaders--is tried and true, though the picture had no big star names to bank on. But it had 2,971 screens to play on, and that was enough to make it the biggest opener since “Air Force One” came out in July.

But “Bean” had to be counted too. The British comedy, starring Rowan Atkinson in the role he created for British TV, grossed an estimated $12.9 million, making it Gramercy Pictures’ best opening ever and the second-biggest draw for the weekend.

Atkinson’s quirky physical comedy has already won over much of the world. The movie made about $140 million internationally before even opening in the United States. Russell Schwartz, president of Gramercy Pictures, said the film has played well even in what he thought would be “non-’Bean’ ” markets like Japan and Brazil.

“There’s something universal about this guy,” he said. “He’s crossed all borders.”

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Dropping to third place was the teen-horror flick “I Know What You Did Last Summer,” after three weeks at No. 1. The film, from Sony’s Columbia Pictures, grossed $6.6 million, down 30% from a week earlier, on 2,524 screens. To date, it has racked up ticket sales of about $54 million.

“Starship Troopers” is TriStar’s third-biggest opening ever, said Jeff Blake, president of Sony Pictures Releasing. Only the action films “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” (1991) and “Total Recall” (1990) have done better for the studio.

The film marks a return to the action genre for director Paul Verhoeven, who also directed “Total Recall” and “RoboCop.” His last film was the disastrous--though clearly not career-halting--”Showgirls.”

While not as well known in the United States as in Europe, Atkinson’s “Bean” has been seen here on PBS and HBO. But instead of a small, sophisticated audience, Schwartz said, Gramercy knew the physical comedy would play well with kids 6 to 16.

“He’s a very unique character. Children love him because he’s the kind of guy who will very gladly live within the rules--as long as they suit him,” Schwartz said. “He’s like a 10-year-old.”

Schwartz said he was surprised to find that 45% of the audience for “Bean” was 25 and older, which portends well for future weekends--as does the fact that “Bean” has virtually no other comedy competition.

The “Troopers,” on the other hand, will come up against several films in the action and thriller genres: “The Jackal” starting Friday, “John Grisham’s The Rainmaker” the weekend after that and “Alien Resurrection” over Thanksgiving.

Rounding out the Top 10 were Warner Bros.’ “The Devil’s Advocate,” in fourth, with $5.02 million; MGM’s “Red Corner,” $5 million; the new Dustin Hoffman-John Travolta drama “Mad City,” from Warner Bros., $4.7 million; New Line Cinema’s “Boogie Nights,” $4.1 million; Trimark Pictures’ “Eve’s Bayou,” $3.3 million; Paramount’s “Kiss the Girls,” $2.5 million; and TriStar’s “Seven Years in Tibet,” $2.1 million.

Weekend grosses are estimates; final figures will be released today.