by David Poland

January 14, 2000

Not all that much to cover this week, though is seems like a lifetime since I've done a Box Office Extra. (One more area where I need to knock the rust off.) The rundown is pretty simple. The Hurricane expands fairly wide. That makes this a critical Oscar® ® weekend for the film, as the question of whether it is a legit candidate for Best Picture or just a sure nod for Denzel will be answered. Holy Smoke opens on just two screens...again. The last time it opened was in December and then, only for Oscar® consideration. My Dog Skip is only on 5 screens, though one has to worry about a slow rollout for a kids film that isn't Toy Story 2.

Next Friday opened on Wednesday and opened with $2.7 million, a big number, both by standards of urban market films and of films getting a 1103 screen start. Ironically, Next Friday should easily outperform the 1100+ screen start for Magnolia from last weekend, even though it is seen by most as a throw-away comedy. Regardless, this will be a good weekend for New Line, which stands to have two Top Ten films, which combined will still have fewer screens total than any other single Top Ten entry except for The Hurricane. Add up their per screen between them and New Line will finally have something to smile about.

I am thrilled to say that we may finally have seen the last of Bicentennial Man in the Top Ten and don't look for Snow Falling on Cedars to return either. Oh yes...Supernova is opening. Which means one important thing. No one ever will have to write about it again since MGM has already written it off as a loss in their books.

WEEKEND GUESSTIMATES
1. Next Friday - 1103 screens - new - $10.5 million
2. Stuart Little - 3092 screens - off 30 percent - $7.84 million
3. The Green Mile - 2483 screens - off 20 percent - $7.76 million
4. The Hurricane - 1465 screens - expanding - $7.3 million
5. The Talented Mr. Ripley - 2369 screens - off 25 percent - $7 million
6. Galaxy Quest - 2450 screens - off 20 percent - $6.4 million
7. Any Given Sunday - 2505 screens - off 35 percent - $5.7 million
8. Supernova - 2280 screens - new - $5 million
9. Magnolia - 1038 screens - off 15 percent - $4.8 million
10. Toy Story 2 - 2326 screens - off 35 percent - $4.7 million

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