`MAIL' STAMPS OUT BOX OFFICE COMPETITORS.Byline: Dave McNary Daily News Staff Writer The romantic comedy ``You've Got Mail'' delivered the top spot at the nation's box office with an estimated $18.8 million at 2,691 theaters during the Friday-Sunday period, studio sources said Sunday. Warner Bros BROS Brothers BROS Benefits and Retirement Operations Section (King County, Washington) BROS Barnes and Richmond Operatic Society (London, UK) .' teaming of Tom Hanks Noun 1. Tom Hanks - United States film actor (born in 1956) Hanks, Thomas J. Hanks and Meg Ryan, who scored a major hit with 1993's ``Sleepless in Seattle,'' proved a solid draw for moviegoers, but analysts said the opening weekend was hurt by extensive televised coverage of President Clinton's impeachment impeachment, formal accusation issued by a legislature against a public official charged with crime or other serious misconduct. In a looser sense the term is sometimes applied also to the trial by the legislature that may follow. and the bombing of Iraq There have been several bombings of Iraq:
``The real box office winner this weekend were the TV stations,'' said Robert Bucksbaum, president of the Reel Source tracking service. ``No one in the industry expected all this to happen now and it really hurt films targeted at adults.'' DreamWorks' opening of its animated biblical epic, ``The Prince of Egypt,'' finished second with $14.3 million at 3,118 theaters. Distribution chief James Tharp said the performance was in line with studio expectations, adding, ``We feel the film is positioned to play well through the holidays.'' Analyst Arthur Rockwell called the ``Prince'' opening ``respectable'' and noted that it represents a tough marketing challenge. ``People want fun movies at this time of year, so I'm not sure this is the right time to release such a serious film,'' he added. Overall business totaled $76 million, making the weekend one of the few this year to post a year-to-year decline. ``Titanic'' opened a year ago with $28.6 million, followed by ``Tomorrow Never Dies'' with $25.1 million. ``Nothing is doing blockbuster business this season, but the overall business is very strong with a very crowded marketplace,'' Rockwell said. ``This weekend was solid, but at the lower end of expectations.'' Bucksbaum predicted ``Mail'' will take in $110 million overall and ``Prince'' will hit $85 million. Both face serious competition on Christmas with openings of Universal's ``Patch Adams,'' Miramax's ``The Faculty,'' Sony's ``Stepmom'' and Disney's ``Mighty Joe Young.'' The latter two received strong responses from Saturday night sneak previews. Disney's fifth weekend of ``A Bug's Life'' came in a respectable third with $9.5 million at 2,773 sites as it benefited from adding new outtakes during the closing credits. ``Life'' has gone past $96 million overall and will soon become the 12th movie this year to top the $100 million mark. Paramount's second weekend of ``Star Trek  Editing of this page by unregistered or newly registered users is currently disabled due to vandalism. :
Insurrection'' saw much of its audience vaporize va·por·izev. To convert or be converted into a vapor. Vaporize To dissolve solid material or convert it into smoke or gas. as it fell to fourth with $8.5 million at 2,649 theaters, representing a 60 percent decline from its opening. Final results for this weekend will be released today. TOP 10 MOVIES Here are estimated grosses at North American North American named after North America. North American blastomycosis see North American blastomycosis. North American cattle tick see boophilusannulatus. theaters for Friday through Sunday. 1. ``You've Got Mail The audio announcement heard millions of times per day by AOL users. The voice was recorded by Elwood "El" Edwards in 1989 at the suggestion of his wife Karen, who worked in customer service for Quantum Computer Services (before Quantum became AOL). ,'' $18.8 million. 2. ``The Prince of Egypt,'' $14.3 million. 3. ``A Bug's Life,'' $9.5 million. 4. ``Star Trek: Insurrection A rising or rebellion of citizens against their government, usually manifested by acts of violence. Under federal law, it is a crime to incite, assist, or engage in such conduct against the United States. INSURRECTION. ,'' $8.5 million. 5. ``Jack Frost Jack Frost personification of winter. [Pop. Culture: Misc.] See : Winter ,'' $5.1 million. 6. ``Enemy of the State,'' $4.4 million. 7. ``The Rugrats Movie,'' $3 million. 8. ``The Waterboy,'' $2.9 million. 9. ``Psycho,'' $1.9 million. 10. ``Elizabeth,'' $885,000. CAPTION(S): box Box: TOP 10 MOVIES (see text) |
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