Moviegoers Spend Their Weekend in ‘Pleasantville’

There’s nothing like a little in-house competition.

Duking it out for the No. 1 spot at the box office over the weekend were New Line’s “Pleasantville,” estimating $9 million in its debut, and sister studio Warner Bros.’ “Practical Magic,” reporting $8.75 million in its second weekend--though their competitors differ on which film actually won the fight.

Even if “Pleasantville’s” estimate proves to be slightly optimistic, the comedic fantasy scored a TKO. It was playing in only 1,636 theaters, 1,000 fewer than “Practical Magic,” which grossed about $3,300 a theater. “Pleasantville’s” viewership ratings were much higher--$5,500 a house, the best of any movie in the top 10. “Magic” had a more than acceptable drop of 33% and has now conjured up about $26 million in its first 10 days.

The weekend’s other new arrivals, “Soldier” and “Apt Pupil,” divvied up the young male patrons. The $15 million Kurt Russell reportedly received for “Soldier” may be, more or less, what the film ultimately grosses since the action crowd just didn’t seem to buy into the premise of this Terminator clone. Its first weekend in 2,507 theaters earned an estimated $6.3 million, a tired $2,519 per screen, signifying a hasty retreat from theaters. It was the action star’s worst opening in many years.

“Apt Pupil,” based on a Stephen King tale, didn’t quite make the grade either, climbing no higher than ninth place in its class despite moderately good reviews, especially for co-star Ian McKellen. Debuting on 1,448 screens, “Pupil” grossed only $3.6 million.

And “Beloved” took a substantial hit in weekend No. 2, dropping 46%, indicating that the three-hour drama’s word of mouth is weak. With only $4.4 million in 1,507 theaters and less than $15 million in 10 days, “Beloved’s” fate underscores the difficulty of selling literate historical material at the movies. (Disney had better news to report on its long-running “Armageddon,” which on Sunday night became the first film of 1998 to gross $200 million.)

Buoyed by good reviews, “Pleasantville” was New Line’s fourth No. 1 debut this year, following “Blade,” “Rush Hour” and “Lost in Space.” The company had numerous screenings hoping to build word-of-mouth on the film, which they say paid off in a demographically broad turnout for the first weekend, according to senior studio executive Mitch Goldman. Urban and suburban theaters were strongest and adult patrons outnumbered teens, but for a movie with no box-office stars and a tricky concept to sell, Goldman says there is frequently applause at the end of every showing. With a good head start and no real competition next week, New Line is hoping to stay on screens through Thanksgiving.

Meanwhile, “Antz” just can’t be exterminated from third place with a tenacious fourth-weekend total of $8.2 million (another minor drop of only 27%) on 2,929 screens and a monthlong tally of almost $62 million. The DreamWorks animated infestation just passed Fox’s “Anastasia” and by next weekend will top Paramount’s “Beavis and Butthead” feature to become the top-grossing animated film not made by Disney.

“Bride of Chucky” had a predictable horror-movie decline of 43%, but still managed $6.7 million and a good fourth-place hold. With $21 million in 10 days, “Chucky” and his spouse have already amassed enough of a nest egg to warrant a son or daughter at some point in the future.

Benefiting from the poor showings of “Soldier” and “Apt Pupil,” “Rush Hour” continued to jam patrons into theaters, losing little of its original momentum. Its sixth weekend brought in a projected $5.7 million for a grand total of more than $117 million so far.

The other two films in the top 10 are both completing a decent month in theaters. The New Age romance “What Dreams May Come” ended up in eighth place, bringing in about $4 million. “Dreams” should reach $50 million in the next week or so. “A Night at the Roxbury” will probably make it to $30 million, based on this weekend’s $2.4 million and the total of almost $27 million after four weeks.

And finally, Miramax debuted Roberto Benigni’s Cannes Film Festival favorite, “Life Is Beautiful,” at six theaters in New York and Los Angeles, reaping a bountiful $120,000.

As audiences mark time for the arrival of the first of the big holiday films on Nov. 6 (Bruce Willis in “The Siege,” Adam Sandler’s “The Waterboy” and the reissue of “The Wizard of Oz”), attendance went into neutral, and for the first time in several months, no single film grossed more than $10 million. The top 12 movies reaped a modest harvest of about $62 million, according to the industry tracking company Exhibitor Relations. That’s almost 17% ahead of last year, but still 15% lower than last weekend.