‘The Big Hit’ Has a Big Take

Hong Kong director Che-Kirk Wong’s first American feature, “The Big Hit,” proved to be just that with moviegoers, coming in No. 1 at the box office with $10.8 million in ticket sales. Starring Mark Wahlberg (“Boogie Nights”) and Lou Diamond Phillips, the modestly budgeted action-comedy was largely aimed at teenage boys.

Overall, it was a lackluster weekend with “Titanic” gradually beginning to lose its hold on North American audiences after 19 weeks. After two weeks in the top spot, “City of Angels” fell back to No. 2, earning $9 million.

“Object of My Affection” dropped off sharply from $12 million in its first weekend to $5.2 million for its second.

* Writer-director Peter Howitt’s romantic comedy “Sliding Doors,” about a woman (Gwyneth Paltrow) and one small incident that can affect a person’s life, earned $834,817 in limited release for a strong per screen average of $7,135.

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Three-day gross/ Screens/ Weeks in Movie (Studio) Total (millions) Average Release 1. “The Big Hit” $10.8 2,149 1 (Sony/TriStar) $10.8 $5,030 2. “City of Angels” $9.0 2,433 3 (Warner Bros.) $46.6 $3,704 3. “The Object $5.2 1,963 2 of My Affection” (Fox) $17.1 $2,629 4. “Titanic” $4.9 2,912 19 (Paramount/Fox) $560.6 $1,696 5. “Paulie” $4.4 1,757 2 (DreamWorks) $10.8 $2,494 6. “Lost in Space” $4.0 2,917 4 (New Line) $58.1 $1,376 7. “Odd Couple II” $2.5 1,852 3 (Paramount) $14.1 $1,338 8. “Mercury Rising” $2.2 1,769 4 (Universal) $27.9 $1,220 9. “The Players Club” $2.0 624 3 (New Line) $17.4 $3,260 10. “Scream 2” $1.8 1,769 1 [re-release] (Dimension) $98.1 $1,012 * “Sliding Doors” $834,817 117 1 (Miramax) $834,817 $7,135

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SOURCE: Exhibitor Relations Co.