Nothing but Net for ‘He Got Game’
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“He Got Game,” director Spike Lee’s basketball-themed movie starring Denzel Washington, won the weekly box-office race with $7.6 million in ticket sales--one of the best openings ever for a Lee film.
In 1992, Lee’s “Malcolm X”--which also starred Washington--opened at $13.6 million, but that was over the five-day Thanksgiving holiday weekend. The movie went on to gross $48.1 million domestically. Lee’s 1991 film, “Jungle Fever,” took in $31.7 million by the end of its theatrical run.
For the record:
12:00 a.m. May 6, 1998 For the Record
Los Angeles Times Wednesday May 6, 1998 Home Edition Calendar Part F Page 2 Entertainment Desk 1 inches; 25 words Type of Material: Correction
Box office--In Tuesday’s box-office chart, an incorrect figure appeared for the film “Paulie.” The DreamWorks SKG release grossed a cumulative $15.2 million through Sunday.
With Hollywood yet to roll out its big summer releases, the weekend box-office performance was rather lackluster. “City of Angels” took in $6.6 million in its fourth weekend for No. 2 on the chart, while “The Big Hit,” last week’s winner, slipped to No. 3 with $5.7 million.
“Les Miserables,” a handsomely made retelling of the Victor Hugo classic starring Liam Neeson, debuted at No. 4 with $5 million. “Black Dog,” an action adventure from Universal starring Patrick Swayze and country singer Randy Travis, came in at No. 5 with $4.8 million. “Sliding Doors,” a romantic comedy starring Gwyneth Paltrow, earned $1.6 million in somewhat wider release in its second week to finish 10th.
Meanwhile, “Titanic” is still churning along. It came in at No. 6 with $4 million and has now grossed over $565 million in North America alone.
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Three-day gross/ Screens/ Weeks in Movie (Studio) Total (millions) Average Release 1. “He Got Game” $7.6 1,319 1 (Disney/Touchstone) $7.6 $5,770 2. “City of Angels” $6.6 2,433 4 (Warner Bros.) $55.4 $2,716 3. “The Big Hit” $5.8 2,149 2 (Sony/TriStar) $19.4 $2,676 4. “Les Miserables” $5.0 1,477 1 (Sony/Columbia) $5.0 $3,393 5. “Black Dog” $4.8 2.025 1 (Universal) $4.8 $2,375 6. “Titanic” $4.0 2,660 20 (Paramount/Fox) $565.7 $1,508 7. “Paulie” $3.7 1,803 3 (DreamWorks) $4.4 $2,080 8. “The Object $3.4 1,990 3 of My Affection” (Fox) $21.9 $1,705 9. “Lost in Space” $3.0 2,271 5 (New Line) $62.1 $1,313 10. “Sliding Doors” $1.6 495 2 (Miramax) $2.7 $3,314
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SOURCE: Exhibitor Relations Co.
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