‘Seven Years’ in Second Place

In the end, the star power of Brad Pitt in the epic adventure “Seven Years in Tibet” wasn’t quite enough to overcome the continued drawing power of “Kiss the Girls,” a psychological thriller starring Morgan Freeman and Ashley Judd, which captured the top spot in the weekend box-office rankings with $11.1 million.

John Krier, president of the box-office tracking firm Exhibitor Relations, said “Kiss the Girls” held the top spot for the second week running, in part, because audiences like suspenseful films and pointed to the box-office success of “Scream” as an example.

Meanwhile, “Seven Years in Tibet” took in $10 million for second place. The movie, which tells the story of an Austrian mountain climber and his encounter with Tibet’s young spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, may have had to overcome the perception that it was a specialized film, Krier said.

“Soul Food,” a family drama with a black cast that has performed strongly since opening three weeks ago, took in $5.6 million for third place, while the gay-themed comedy “In & Out” grossed $5.5 million on the weekend.

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Four-day gross/ Screens/ Weeks in Movie (Studio) Total (millions) Average Release 1. “Kiss the Girls” $11.1 2,302 2 (Paramount) $28.5 $4,832 2. “Seven Years in Tibet” $10.0 2,103 1 (Sony/TriStar) $10.1 $4,765 3. “In & Out” $5.5 2,452 4 (Paramount) $48.0 $2,233 4. “Soul Food” $5.6 1,285 3 (Fox 2000) $30.3 $4,375 5. “The Peacemaker” $5.2 2,420 3 (DreamWorks) $31.5 $2,152 6. * “RocketMan” $4.5 1,836 1 (Disney) $4.5 $2,436 7. “L.A. Confidential” $3.7 1,625 4 (Warner Bros.) $23.0 $2,256 8. “The Edge” $3.5 2,200 3 (Fox) $20.3 $1,579 9. “Most Wanted” $2.8 2,098 1 (New Line) $2.8 $1,352 10. “Gang Related” $2.4 1,260 1 (MGM) $3.3 $1,939 * “Boogie Nights” $50,202 2 1 (New Line) $50,202 $25,101

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* “Boogie Nights,” which has received positive buzz throughout the entertainment community at screenings, tells the story of the porn industry during the late ‘70s and early ‘80s in Los Angeles. It opened on Sunday in New York on only two screens, but took in $50,202 for a healthy per screen average of $25,101.

SOURCE: Exhibitor Relations Co.