MOVIES - Sept. 24, 2001

A Bad Weekend at the Box Office

Movie ticket sales plunged this weekend, making it the year’s lowest-grossing weekend. Estimated weekend ticket sales for the top dozen films was $44.2 million, a 15% drop from last weekend and about 7% lower than the same weekend a year ago. It was the worst weekend since Sept. 15, 2000.

Paul Dergarabedian, president of Exhibitor Relations, said jitters from the terrorist attacks, a lack of new movies and Friday night’s celebrity telethon kept movie audiences away. “There were more stars in that than in any film in the marketplace,” Dergarabedian said.

The Keanu Reeves Little League drama “Hardball” remained the No. 1 movie, taking in $8.2 million in its second weekend of release for a total of $19.4 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

“Glitter,” the only new movie opening in wide release, made a paltry $2.5 million and failed to register in the top 10. The movie stars Mariah Carey as a pop diva on the rise. “It’s disappointing,” Bruce Snyder, president of domestic distribution for 20th Century Fox, said of the opening. “With the climate in this country, I don’t think I know quite what’s going on.”

“Megiddo: The Omega Code 2” was the No. 13 movie, making $1.5 million.

ART

Exhibition Postponed After Groups Object

“War,” a controversial exhibition of paintings by Alex Donis scheduled to open Friday at the city of Los Angeles’ Watts Towers Arts Center in conjunction with the reopening of the towers, has been postponed.

The exhibition--depicting LAPD officers and gang members in same-sex dancing poses--sparked objections from members of community groups who said they feared violent reactions to the fictionalized images, especially at a moment when large crowds are expected to visit the site.

In a statement, Donis said he is “outraged and equally saddened” that his “message of actual peace and tolerance is getting lost in reactionary attitudes towards the paintings.”

Margie Johnson Reese, general manager of the city’s Cultural Affairs Department, in turn issued a statement saying that it was “important to respond to the community’s concerns.” The department will fulfill its commitment to Donis by rescheduling the show, she said.

THEATER

Union Members Save ‘Kiss Me, Kate’

Broadway’s “Kiss Me, Kate” has been given a reprieve. The show’s producers had posted cancellation notices Wednesday, citing a fall-off in ticket sales in the wake of the terrorist attacks. Unions representing stagehands, musicians and actors last week agreed to take 25% salary cuts for the next four weeks to help keep struggling shows running. But that hadn’t been enough to keep the Cole Porter musical afloat.

So over the weekend, theatrical union members working for the show agreed to commit an additional 25% from their paychecks to buy tickets for victims’ families and rescue workers over the next two weeks to prevent “Kate” from closing Sunday. The Tony Award-winning musical had originally been scheduled to close on Dec. 30.

TELEVISION

Willis Interview Put Off Until Climate Cools

Cable’s Bravo network won’t air an episode of the series “Inside the Actors Studio” featuring an interview with Bruce Willis until December or January, due to the terrorist attacks, the show’s host, James Lipton, said.

The interview, taped the day before the attacks, includes Willis talking about his “Die Hard” movies, whose plot lines revolve around terrorism. “We were going to show it in October, but everybody is staying away from the subject of terrorists attacking a building,” Lipton said.

Most-Watched Show: Miss America

A revamped “Miss America Pageant” was the most-watched show in prime time Saturday, according to preliminary ratings from Nielsen Media Research. The ABC show, which tried reality-TV gimmicks to turn around a ratings slide in recent years, didn’t improve its ratings significantly over last year, however.

According to Nielsen, it was watched in 8.7% of homes in 51 major cities monitored by Nielsen.

Farm Aid Focuses on Destroyed Markets

This year’s Farm Aid event, scheduled for Saturday in Noblesville, Ind., will be a “Concert for America,” says organizer Willie Nelson, with some proceeds going to help restore the farmers markets destroyed in the World Trade Center attacks.

“Farmers are always among the first to reach down, dig deep, do whatever they can, to help a neighbor in need,” he said. “The American farmer’s example of generosity lends hope that this national tragedy will reveal the best of what it means to be an American.”

QUICK TAKE

Tonight’s season premiere of “Angel” on the WB will contain what the network says is the first look at the new trailer for the film “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.”