by David Poland

July 30, 1999

Let's start off with an "Oops!" Mystery Men isn't coming out this weekend. I was given a screen count even though the film wasn't opening and, apparently, the person giving it to me assumed that I was just asking in advance. I wasn't. My mistake. Mystery Men was scheduled for August 6 and then moved to July 30 and then moved back to August 6 in light of the surprising threat of The Blair Witch Project. Sorry for the screw up. The following may now look a little like The Haunting. Mystery Men ("the lesbian scene") will be missing and the vestiges may still be there, taunting you. Again, my apologies.

There is some real mystery at the box office this weekend. First, how will the expansion of The Blair Witch Project go. The film blew the doors off in a small group of cities over the last two weeks, but how will it play in Peoria? The second mystery is just how big Runaway Bride will open. It has enough star power to choke on, but has Paramount undersold the film? I've made the mistake of assuming that a couple of other times this summer. I won't be doing that again.

One film that won't be so mysterious is Deep Blue Sea, which has surprised people by being a lot better than expected. Still, the Wednesday opening at $3 million, just a hair behind The Haunting, does not indicate that people are going to be crawling over one another to get tickets for this one. People, on the other hand, may well crawl over one another to get away from The Haunting and Inspector Gadget. And expect the 40 percent-plus exodus from Eyes Wide Shut, Lake Placid and Wild Wild West to continue, leaving the last two films out of the Top Ten this weekend, with each pulling in about $2.8 million.

WEEKEND GUESSTIMATES:

1. Runaway Bride - 3158 venues - new - $34 million
2. Deep Blue Sea - 2854 venues - new - $19.5 million
3. The Haunting - 2864 venues - off 55 percent - $15 million
4. Inspector Gadget - 2877 venues - off 43 percent - $12.5 million
5. The Blair Witch Project - 1101 venues - expanding - $11 million
6. American Pie - 2435 venues 0 off 30 percent - $7.1 million
7. Eyes Wide Shut - 2264 venues - off 50 percent - $5 million
8. Big Daddy - 2288 venues - off 40 percent - $3.6 million
9. Tarzan - 1611 venues - off 35 percent - $3.2 million

E ME: You know the routine.