‘Parents’ Meets a New Record

“Meet the Parents,” a mainstream comedy about a young man being introduced to his prospective in-laws, grossed $28.6 million, the highest-grossing debut of any film opening in October.

“The picture plays like gangbusters on all levels--young and old,” said Nikki Rocco, president of Universal Pictures Distribution. “You can relate to it because you always remember what it was like the first time you met your in-laws.”

Sylvester Stallone is still looking for the magic to return, but “Get Carter” was not the vehicle, debuting with only $6.6 million.

“Cyberworld 3D,” “Requiem for a Dream,” “Two Family House,” “Tigerland” and “Bootmen” all opened in limited release. Figures for “Bamboozled” were not available.

Weekend Box Office

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Three-day gross/ Screens/ Weeks in Movie (Studio) Total (millions) Average Release 1. “Meet the Parents” $28.6 2,614 1 (Universal) $28.6 $10,950 2. “Remember the Titans” $19.2 2,701 2 (Disney/Touchstone) $45.9 $7,112 3. “Get Carter” $6.6 2,315 1 (Warner Bros.) $6.6 $2,867 4. * “The Exorcist” $4.4 1,150 3 (Warner Bros.) $23.9 $3,862 5. “Digimon: The Movie” $4.2 1,823 1 (Fox) $4.2 $2,322 6. “Almost Famous” $3.7 2,085 4 (DreamWorks) $23.3 $1,784 7. “Urban Legends: Final Cut” $2.6 2,539 3 (Sony/TriStar) $18.2 $1,027 8. “Bring It On” $2.3 2,382 7 (Universal) $62.5 $950 9. “The Watcher” $1.15 1,749 5 (Universal) $27.8 $655 10.”Nurse Betty” $1.13 1,473 5 (USA Films) $1.1 $766 “Cyberworld 3D” $278,199 21 1 (Imax) $278,199 $13,248 “Requiem for a Dream” $64,770 2 1 (Artisan) $64,770 $32,385 “Two Family House” $30,316 9 1 (Lions Gate) $30,316 $3,368 “Tigerland” $26,715 5 1 (Fox) $26,715 $5,343 “Bootmen” $13,133 11 1 (Fox Searchlight) $13,133 $1,194

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* Reissue

SOURCE: Exhibitor Relations Co.