‘Men in Black II’ in 1st Over the 4th

The Fourth of July celebration was lopsided in favor of one movie, “Men in Black II,” which grossed an estimated record-breaking $90 million in 3,557 theaters and more than 6,000 individual screens. The sequel out-grossed the original comic book adaptation starring Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones, which opened over the same period five years ago at $79.3 million. “MIBII” also tops 1996’s “Independence Day,” which took in $84.9 million over the holiday. Coincidentally, all three movies star Smith.

For Sony Pictures Entertainment, “MIBII” represents the studio’s fifth No. 1 movie of the year. And according to company Chairman Amy Pascal, by midweek the studio will reach $1 billion in total revenues, the fastest any film company has ever reached that level. Sony previously recorded $1 billion in sales in early September of 1997 with the help of the first “Men in Black” and holds the record of $1.27 billion for the entire year, which it could exceed by summer’s end.

“We’re working on all cylinders,” enthused Pascal. “I’m proud of every single division.” And, she notes, Sony got to $1 billion mostly with original titles, not sequels.

The studio’s other milestone for the weekend was “Spider-Man,” which became only the fifth motion picture ever to reach $400 million in admissions.

The summer’s dominant movies--”Spider-Man,” “Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones,” and now “MIBII”--emphasize how heavily reliant the motion picture industry has become on blockbuster titles to stoke the public’s moviegoing appetite. These overachievers bring out the infrequent moviegoer and generate momentum that spills over to other movies.

As with the other big summer titles, “MIBII’s” ultimate take will depend heavily on repeat business. The total gross of the first movie was only three times its holiday weekend opening gross. It also cost far less than the sequel, which is reportedly tagged with a $140-million budget.

Whatever the cost, “MIBII” kept the ticket-takers busy as the top 12 movies generated an estimated $219 million, according to Exhibitor Relations.

By comparison, the previous Fourth of July five-day record came in 1996 when “Independence Day” opened and the top 50 movies grossed $198.4 million, says Paul Dergarabedian, president of the box-office tracking firm.

The summer movie period, which started May 3, is running 27% ahead of last year and has taken in $2 billion at the box office so far. The year-to-date box-office revenues are about $4.8 billion.

Of the other two movies that opened, both aimed at children, the live-action “Like Mike,” snared a snazzy $20 million over the five-day period on 2,310 screens, a healthy start for the family movie.

As with last week’s “Hey Arnold, The Movie,” however, the transfer of the animated “Powerpuff Girls” to the big screen was met with indifference, with only $6.1 million expected in its first five days in 2,290 theaters. “Hey Arnold: The Movie,” dropped out of the top 10 in its second weekend, collecting $10.7 million in its first 10 days in 2,527 theaters, only $3 million over the holiday weekend.

Neither film was any match for Disney’s “Lilo & Stitch,” which orbited into the $100-million stratosphere in its third weekend in 3,222 theaters, grossing an estimated $19 million over the last five days. It joins the mighty “Scooby-Doo” as a runaway family-entertainment performer for the summer. “Scooby” is still in 3,257 theaters, taking in an expected $10 million in five days at 3,257 sites, and is already at $137.5 million after only four weeks.

Adam Sandler’s “Mr. Deeds” dropped off considerably from its first weekend but managed to hang on to second place with $26.3 million in 3,231 theaters over the holiday and $74 million in its first 10 days, well over its reported $55-million budget.

Steven Spielberg’s “Minority Report,” starring Tom Cruise, is about to become another $100-million-plus notch in the belt of both its director and star, grossing an estimated $18.2 million and almost $97 million in three weeks.

The five-day holiday benefited adult-skewing titles, as the grown-ups caught up with movies such as “The Bourne Identity” and “Sum of All Fears.”

“Bourne Identity” held on with a scant 19% drop from last weekend, selling $13.2 million in tickets over the past five days, taking it to just under $90 million in its first month.

In its sixth week, “Sum” added $5.1 million in 1,592 theaters, bringing its cume to $112 million or so.

In 10th place, “Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood,” was still thriving with $4 million expected over the past five days in 1,792 theaters and a $61 million to date.

Proof positive that the independent movie is alive and kicking comes from “My Big Fat Greek Wedding,” which is actually improving as it goes along.

Its ticket sales were up 27% last weekend for a five-day total of $4.1 million on only 499 screens. It has grossed almost $24 million to date.