‘Sunday’ Breaks Out of Holiday Weekend Pack

There was no runaway leader over the Christmas weekend with the top four films--”Any Given Sunday,” “The Talented Mr. Ripley,” “Stuart Little” and “Toy Story 2”--divvying up the spoils. There was a disparity of less than $2 million between first and fourth place, with the final outcome uncertain until the final tallies are released today.

Attendance was way down from last year because of Dec. 25 falling on a Saturday, making one fewer day in the typical box office weekend for Christmas Day releases. Because holiday weekend business can be unpredictable, Sunday’s estimates were likely to be less accurate than usual.

Having opened Wednesday, the weekend winner is likely to be Oliver Stone’s pigskin saga “Any Given Sunday,” which executed an end run around its competitors with an estimated three-day total of $14.2 million in 2,505 theaters. The film has a five-day tally of $21.3 million.

If most of the male audience action was on the gridiron tale, distaffers were next door at the mega-plex getting an eyeful of Matt Damon and picture postcard shots of Rome. “The Talented Mr. Ripley” made such a strong impression with its Christmas Day debut that it was able to claim second place with a glamorous two-day predicted total of $13.8 million in 2,307 theaters.

In the battle for the hearts and minds of children of all ages, “Stuart Little” and “Toy Story 2” duked it out for third place. The mighty computer-generated mouse fell from first to a still lively $12.5 million in its second weekend in 2,900 theaters, with a winning 10-day total of around $40 million.

After five weeks in theaters, “Toy Story 2” was right on “Stuart’s” tail, also estimating $12.5 million in 3,151 theaters and a staggering total of nearly $180 million so far, with the $200-million mark in view by the dawn of the new century.

Two other newcomers, “Man on the Moon” and “Galaxy Quest,” also scored with their target audiences over the holiday weekend.

Jim Carrey’s impression of the late Andy Kaufman in “Man on the Moon” may not have brought out the crowds like “The Truman Show” or “Liar, Liar,” both of which debuted to more than $30 million, or even “The Cable Guy,” which started at around $20 million. But upscale urban audiences were curious enough to shell out $9 million or so over the weekend in 2,078 theaters and about $13.8 million since the bio-drama’s Wednesday debut. The studio behind the film, Universal Pictures, is counting on year-end citations for Carrey and a possible Oscar nomination to carry the film to a wider audience in weeks to come.

The Trekkie-style spoof “Galaxy Quest” found a niche with general audiences looking for a laugh, taking in an estimated $8.1 million in just two days on 2,412 screens. With “Deuce Bigalow” as its only serious comedy rival, the PG-rated “Galaxy Quest” will take advantage of the year-end recess over the next week. “Deuce,” by the way, finished ninth with a feisty $6.2 million estimate on 2,162 theaters and $35.4 million in three weeks.

With Christmas Eve and Christmas Day festivities taking a big slice out of what is normally a powerhouse moviegoing weekend, box office totals were down substantially from last year’s record $131.8-million yule weekend. By comparison, the top 12 films this year grossed only $104.1 million, according to Exhibitor Relations, 27% percent off 1998’s pace.

“The Green Mile” got somewhat sidetracked by the new competition, ending in fifth place just slightly ahead of “Man on the Moon.” “Mile’s” third weekend arrested $9 million on 2,875 screens for a total to date of almost $53 million.

Though there seems to be enough of an audience for most films this holiday season, the two relative disappointments appear to be “Bicentennial Man” and “Anna and the King.” “Bicentennial” is at least getting some of the family audience and was able to equal or slightly better its debut weekend with an estimated $8.3 million over the holiday weekend in 2,767 theaters, for a 10-day total of $22.5 million.

“Anna,” however, seems to be the odd woman out this season, managing only $4.7 million in its second weekend on 2,140 screens and a wan 10-day total of $13.5 million.

Expanding to 326 screens on Christmas Day was the John Irving adaptation “The Cider House Rules,” which grossed an acceptable $626,000 on 328 screens for a total to date of $1.3 million.

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Among the limited debuts this week, the biggest impression was made by the drama “Girl, Interrupted,” starring Winona Ryder, which grossed $118,000 on nine screens over the weekend ($13,000 a theater) and $206,000 since its debut last Tuesday.

“Snow Falling on Cedars” received a chilly reception of $29,000 on three screens over the weekend and $49,000 in its first five days.

“Angela’s Ashes” took in $60,000 in just two days on six screens in New York and Los Angeles.

Julie Taymor’s daring Shakespearean adaptation “Titus” managed $25,000 in two days on two screens despite its close to three-hour running time.

The boxing/buddy film “Play It to the Bone” with Woody Harrelson and Antonio Banderas, was a bare-boned $3,660 on one L.A. screen since its Christmas Day debut.

Among the longer running exclusive engagements, “The End of the Affair” broadened to 58 screens on Christmas Day, ringing up $261,000 for $888,000 so far. “Magnolia” was fragrant with $140,000 on nine screens in its second weekend and $440,000 over its first 10 days. Both films will have wider releases starting on Jan. 7.