by David Poland

February 25 , 2000

BOX OFFICE EXTRA

Well, kids, I forgot to get the screen counts again! (I should probably ask one of you to write this column each week. I've gotten so distracted!)

Anyway, the two new movies are Wonder Boys and Reindeer Games. The Boys get the critics and the `Deer will get the big bucks, no pun intended.

The Oscar® race spilled into the Top ten last weekend and could actually become more significant this weekend. If you went by last weekend's box office, the race would indeed be between America Beauty and The Cider House Rules, which finished in ninth and tenth place. Of course, American Beauty made $6.6 million and Cider House made $3.4 million, which beat out The Green Mile, in 11th place, by less than $200,000. The Sixth Sense was in 16th place with $1.9 million and The Insider brought up the rear, as it will in overall domestic box office, in 33rd place with $241,266. Disney is planning on fixing that oversight as best they can. But don't expect any of these five to climb over any of the others this weekend or for any of them to make the Top Ten either.

On another Disney front, I think it's amazing how quietly Fantasia 2000 has amassed almost $25 million in 10 weeks on no more than 70 screens at any time. Very impressive indeed.

WEEKEND GUESSTIMATES

1. Reindeer Games - new - $14 million
2. Wonder Boys - new - $11 million
3. Snow Day - off 35 percent - $9.9 million
4. The Whole Nine Yards - off 40 percent - $9.5 million
5. Pitch Black - off 40 percent - $8.1 million
6. The Tigger Movie - off 30 percent - $7.4 million
7. Hanging Up - off 55 percent - $7.1 million
8. Scream 3 - off 50 percent - $5 million
9. The Beach - off 45 percent - $4.6 million
10. Boiler Room - off 35 percent - $4.4 million

Back to the Hot Button

E ME: You know the routine.