`LOST WORLD' FINDING ITS NICHE; DINO-SEQUEL ON PACE TO JOIN TOP 10 : TOP GROSSING DOMESTIC RELEASES.Byline: Dave McNary Daily News Staff Writer How high can it go? Analysts believe ``The Lost World: Jurassic Park'' will continue to generate monster ticket sales and may come close to the $356 million domestic gross taken by ``Jurassic Park'' four years ago. With a stunning $92.7 million after its first five days, including $2.6 million for Thursday night previews, Universal's dino-sequel already is likely to wind up as one of the top 10 performers in the U.S. market by topping ``Jaws'' at $260 million. And it has a decent shot at cracking cracking - cracker the top five by going past ``The Lion King'' at $313 million. ``We think it will top out at $285 million,'' said Robert Bucksbaum, head of the Reel Source forecasting service. ``It could go higher if some of the upcoming competitors like `Batman and Robin' don't perform well.'' ``Lost World'' will top the $100 million mark either Tuesday night or today, beating the record set last year by ``Independence Day'' for shortest time to reach $100 million (``ID4'' made it in seven days). ``Lost World'' easily beat the $56.8 million record for a Memorial Day weekend set last year by Paramount's ``Mission: Impossible.'' ``I would have been happy with beating `Mission: Impossible,' so we're all amazed a·maze v. a·mazed, a·maz·ing, a·maz·es v.tr. 1. To affect with great wonder; astonish. See Synonyms at surprise. 2. Obsolete To bewilder; perplex. v.intr. ,'' said Nikki Rocco, Universal's president of distribution. ``But I have no idea what our final gross will be.'' Bucksbaum believes ``Lost World'' will lose about half the audience this coming Friday-Sunday weekend, compared to the $72.4 million it took in during the same portion of its opening weekend. ``That number is still a huge second weekend,'' he said. ``The film is getting very good word of mouth and the awareness is massive.'' ``Lost World'' is not expected to face a serious challenge until Disney opens hijacking hijacking Crime of seizing possession or control of a vehicle from another by force or threat of force. Although by the late 20th century hijacking most frequently involved the seizure of an airplane and its forcible diversion to destinations chosen by the air pirates, when thriller thrill·er n. One that thrills, especially a sensational or suspenseful book, story, play, or movie. thriller Noun ``Con Air'' on June 6, by which time it will have probably taken in $150 million to $175 million. Further challenges will come from 20th Century Fox's ``Speed 2'' on June 13 and Warner Bros BROS Brothers BROS Benefits and Retirement Operations Section (King County, Washington) BROS Barnes and Richmond Operatic Society (London, UK) .' ``Batman and Robin'' on June 20. A pair of goofball goof·ball or goof ball n. A barbiturate or tranquilizer in the form of a pill, especially when taken for nonmedical purposes. comedies - New Line's ``Trial and Error'' and Disney's ``Gone Fishin' '' - debut Friday with modest expectations. ``I would say that $300 million is certainly within the realm of possibility,'' said John Krier, president of industry tracker Exhibitor Relations Co. ``It's been well-above everyone's expectations so far.'' Arthur Rockwell, an entertainment analyst with Yaeger Capital Markets in Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. , said the upcoming weekend for ``Lost World'' could top $40 million, then hit $300 million by the end of its run. ``I think it's going to play very strongly for the rest of the summer,'' Rockwell said. ``People are going to come back to see it two and three times.'' Richie Fay, president of marketing for the AMC (Advanced Mezzanine Card) See AdvancedTCA. movie theater chain, said the upcoming weekend will likely come in somewhere between $40 million and $50 million. AMC has been running the movie on as many as six screens at some of its megaplexes. ``They were lucky to have a sequel and it clicked with people at the right moment,'' Fay said. The executive also noted that Universal had secured an unprecedented number of theaters (3,281) and screens (more than 6,100, due partly to interlocking interlocking /in·ter·lock·ing/ (-lok´ing) closely joined, as by hooks or dovetails; locking into one another. interlocking Obstetrics A rare complication of vaginal delivery of twins; the 1st projection technology) to meet the public's demand. ``Lost World'' cost about $80 million to make and Universal spent about $40 million on marketing. The studio and theaters split box-office revenues, so Universal will have recouped its investment when domestic ticket sales reach $240 million with massive profits then coming from foreign markets, licensed merchandise and videos. The first foreign release will come Thursday in Australia, followed by June 5 in Singapore and June 6 in Thailand. The first major European European emanating from or pertaining to Europe. European bat lyssavirus see lyssavirus. European beech tree fagussylvaticus. European blastomycosis see cryptococcosis. market will be the United Kingdom on July 18. ``Jurassic Park'' managed to take in $557 million from foreign markets four years ago. Chris Lanier, head of the Motion Picture Intelligencer in·tel·li·genc·er n. 1. One who conveys news or information. 2. A secret agent, an informer, or a spy. forecasting service, said the success of ``Lost World'' does not guarantee a blockbuster block·bust·er n. 1. Something, such as a film or book, that sustains widespread popularity and achieves enormous sales. 2. A high-explosive bomb used for demolition purposes. 3. summer, although 10 other big-budget movies are due out in the next two months. ``It's like the lead-off batter in a baseball game Noun 1. baseball game - a ball game played with a bat and ball between two teams of nine players; teams take turns at bat trying to score runs; "he played baseball in high school"; "there was a baseball game on every empty lot"; "there was a desire for National League just hit a home run, but lots of things can still go wrong,'' he said. Some analysts believe ``The Lost World'' can sell $300 million in U.S. movie tickets. Movie Studio Release dates Total 1. `Star Wars' 20th Century Fox 1977; '97, $460.9 million 2. `E.T. - The Extraterrestrial' Universal1982, '85 $399.8 million 3. `Jurassic Park' Universal 1993 $356 million 4. `Forrest Gump' Paramount 1994 $329 million 5. `The Lion King' Disney 1994 $313 million 6. `Return of the Jedi' 20th Century Fox 1983, '87 $308.7 million 7. `Independence Day' 20th Century Fox 1996 $306 million 8. `The Empire Strikes Back' 20th Century Fox1980, '97 $290.2 million 9. `Home Alone' 20th Century Fox 1990 $285 million 10. `Jaws' Universal 1975 $260 million CAPTION(S): Chart Chart: (Color) TOP GROSSING DOMESTIC RELEASES (See text) |
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