‘Titanic’ Steams Along, Earns Another $29 Million

“Titanic” maintained its No. 1 box-office ranking for a fourth weekend with ticket sales of $29.2 million--more than it grossed in its debut weekend, industry sources estimated Sunday.

“The appetite seems to be unending at the moment,” said Rob Friedman, vice chairman of Paramount’s Motion Picture Group, of the film, a joint release of his studio and 20th Century Fox. “It has tremendous staying power.”

“Titanic,” directed by James Cameron and starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet as lovers on the doomed ocean liner, cost a reported $200 million to make. It should gross that amount by today, its 25th day of release, despite a running time of more than three hours that limits the number of screenings.

Only two other films have reached the $200-million mark more quickly: “Independence Day” in 21 days in 1996 and “Jurassic Park” in 23 days in 1993.

“Titanic” has not yet sailed into the black, however, given the cost of advertising and distribution and the fact that the gross is shared by the studios and theater operators.

The film, in any case, may get a further boost with next Sunday’s Golden Globe Awards--it has a leading eight nominations--and again with the Academy Award nominations Feb. 10.

Meantime, Miramax Films’ “Good Will Hunting,” a feel-good drama starring Matt Damon as a troubled young genius and Robin Williams as his therapist, placed second in its first weekend of wide release, grossing $10.3 million.

“Its word of mouth is so powerful,” said industry analyst Robert Bucksbaum, president of Reel Source Inc. “We don’t expect it to drop off either.”

Sony/TriStar Pictures’ “As Good as It Gets,” directed by James L. Brooks, was third with $9.3 million. It was followed by New Line Cinema’s political satire “Wag the Dog,” starring Dustin Hoffman and Robert De Niro, with $8.2 million in its first weekend of wide release.

Director Steven Spielberg’s “Amistad,” still in limited release, placed 10th with $2.7 million. The DreamWorks Pictures release will go into wide release on Friday.

Other films in the Top 10 were United Artists’ “Tomorrow Never Dies,” in fifth, with $7.5 million; DreamWorks’ “Mouse Hunt,” $5 million; Fox’s “Firestorm,” the lone new film in wide release, $4 million; Miramax’s “Jackie Brown,” $3.8 million; and Dimension Films’ “Scream 2,” $3.7 million.

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