It’s a Jungle for ‘Instinct’ Against ‘Menace,’ ‘Hill’

Jedi Knights and Julia Roberts’ romance with Hugh Grant fended off Anthony Hopkins as a crazed ape-man at the box office over the weekend.

“Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace” held on to the No. 1 spot, earning an estimated $32.2 million to top the $250-million mark. The romantic comedy “Notting Hill,” starring Roberts and Grant, continued to fare well in its second week, taking in $15 million for a total of $49.4 million.

The only new film opening in wide release was “Instinct,” pairing Cuba Gooding Jr. with Hopkins as a murderous scientist living among jungle-dwelling apes. It earned $10.2 million for third place.

“Instinct” was expected to do better against “Phantom Menace,” which remained strong despite losing 37% of its audience in its third week of release. Average ticket sales per screen for “Phantom Menace” were $10,652, indicating half-filled houses.

The “Star Wars” prequel is falling short of Hollywood’s hyper-driven expectations, but it continues to do well and will likely top $400 million by summer’s end, said Robert Bucksbaum, a Reel Source Inc. movie analyst.

“I think the studio was expecting better numbers for ‘Star Wars’ because schools are starting to close,” Bucksbaum said. “And it should have done better, especially considering there is no real blockbuster competition.”

That will change when the retro-comedy “Austin Powers” sequel opens Friday, he added. The Mike Meyers film--about a lusty, buck-toothed secret agent and his hairless nemesis, Dr. Evil--appeals to the same audience of young males that composes much of the “Star Wars” fan base.

“The Mummy,” “Entrapment” and “The Matrix” continued to fare well, claiming fourth, fifth and sixth place, respectively. The techno-mystery “The Thirteenth Floor” plunged to seventh after a poor opening and earned only $1.9 million in its second week. “Never Been Kissed,” “William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and “Election” followed in eighth, ninth and 10th.

“The Love Letter,” which opened the same weekend as “Phantom Menace,” dropped out of the top 10 with a paltry total gross of $6.2 million.

Overall box-office earnings were down 10.7% compared to the same weekend last year, when “The Truman Show” opened, and “Godzilla,” “Hope Floats” and “Deep Impact” were still going strong.