‘Titanic,’ ‘The Postman’ Sail in Opposite Directions

“Titanic” continued its reign over the movie box office for a third week with an estimated $32.2 million in ticket sales, but it was another epic, “The Postman,” that did the sinking, according to industry estimates released Sunday.

Riding good word of mouth and facing little new competition, James Cameron’s $200-million “Titanic” had more than double the weekend ticket sales of its nearest rival, according to Exhibitor Relations Co. The joint release of Paramount Pictures and 20th Century Fox has grossed an estimated $156 million since it opened on Dec. 19.

United Artists’ “Tomorrow Never Dies,” the latest James Bond film, was second with $14.1 million. By comparison, “Titanic” grossed $12.7 million on Saturday alone for its best single day yet, said Wayne Lewellen, president of distribution for Paramount.

Sony/TriStar’s romantic comedy “As Good as It Gets,” directed by James L. Brooks and starring Jack Nicholson and Helen Hunt, finished in third place with $12.3 million.

Going in the other direction, Kevin Costner’s “The Postman,” a nearly three-hour epic, continues to shape up as a genuine disaster. The Warner Bros. release, about a future America devastated by war, grossed $3.7 million in its second week and dropped out of the Top 10. The film, which cost a reported $80 million to make, has a total estimated gross to date of $14.6 million.

No new films got a wide viewing, but several had good openings in limited release.

Universal Pictures’ “The Boxer,” with Daniel Day-Lewis as an Irishman caught in the middle of the Catholic-Protestant wars, grossed about $93,500 at three theaters.

Fox Searchlight’s “Oscar and Lucinda,” a period piece starring Ralph Fiennes and Cate Blanchett as a couple united by gambling and a dare to build an all-glass church, took in $82,000 on seven screens.

Rounding out the Top 10 were DreamWorks Pictures’ “Mouse Hunt,” $8.7 million, in fourth; Dimension Films’ “Scream 2,” $8 million; Miramax Films’ “Jackie Brown,” $7.7 million; DreamWorks’ “Amistad,” $4.7 million; Hollywood Pictures’ “An American Werewolf in Paris,” $4.6 million; and Walt Disney Pictures’ “Flubber,” $4.5 million, and “Mr. Magoo,” $4.4 million.

All weekend results are estimates. Final figures are to be released today.