PolyGram’s a Player With ‘The Game’

It was a game without competition--and also an auspicious debut for PolyGram Films. “The Game,” a suspense-thriller starring Michael Douglas and Sean Penn, captured first place on its opening weekend, taking in $14.3 million at the box office. It was the second-highest film to open in the month of September, trailing Paramount Pictures’ “First Wives Club,” which debuted at $18.9 million on Sept. 20 last year.

“I was skittish as a cat, but it turned out to be a truly wonderful weekend,” said Andrew Fogelson, president of PolyGram Filmed Entertainment Distribution.

It was PolyGram’s first foray into theatrical film releasing, and the company couldn’t have chosen a better time to open its film: The summer season’s blockbusters are flickering from memory, and the next big fall releases are yet to come. The runner-up spot this weekend went to Touchstone Pictures’ “G.I. Jane,” but a tight race developed between Warner Bros.’ “Fire Down Below,” New Line Cinema’s “Money Talks” and Fox Searchlight’s “The Full Monty.”

Meanwhile, director Wim Wenders’ “The End of Violence,” an MGM release, opened to a healthy per-screen average of nearly $13,000 at only five locations.

*--*

Four-day gross/ Screens/ Weeks in Movie (Studio) Total (millions) Average Release 1. “The Game” $14.3 2,403 1 (PolyGram) $14.3 $5,966 2. “G.I. Jane” $3.5 2,043 4 (Disney/Touchstone) $38.9 $1,714 3. “Fire Down Below” $3.3 2,350 2 (Warner Bros.) $11.3 $1,387 4. “Money Talks” $3.2 1,942 4 (New Line) $34.2 $3,018 5. “The Full Monty” $2.9 387 5 (Fox Searchlight) $6.0 $7,530 6. “Air Force One” $2.8 2,190 8 (Sony/Columbia) $163.2 $1,283 7. “Hoodlum” $2.5 2,020 3 (United Artists) $19.8 $1,255 8. “Conspiracy Theory” $2.3 1,972 6 (Warner Bros.) $70.7 $1,169 9. “Excess Baggage” $1.9 2,109 3 (Sony/Columbia) $12.5 $884 10. “George of the Jungle” $1.8 2,046 9 (Disney) $98.6 $862 * “The End of Violence” $64,154 5 1 (MGM) $64,154 $12,831

*--*

SOURCE: Exhibitor Relations Co.