`MATRIX' BIGGER THAN `LIFE' AT BOX OFFICE; SCI-FI THRILLER RECAPTURES LEAD.Byline: Dave McNary Daily News Staff Writer Science-fiction blockbuster ``The Matrix'' continued to dazzle daz·zle v. daz·zled, daz·zling, daz·zles v.tr. 1. To dim the vision of, especially to blind with intense light. 2. moviegoers as it led at the nation's multiplexes for the third time in four weekends with an impressive $12.9 million at 2,903 theaters during the Friday-Sunday period, studio sources said Sunday. The Warner Bros BROS Brothers BROS Benefits and Retirement Operations Section (King County, Washington) BROS Barnes and Richmond Operatic Society (London, UK) . release, highlighted by never-before-seen special effects special effects, in motion pictures, cinematographic techniques that create illusions in the audience's minds as well as the illusions created using these techniques. amid a computer-controlled reality, has hit $117.4 million in 26 days and is headed toward becoming the biggest box office success since ``A Bug's Life,'' which went past $162 million. ``The Matrix'' is already the 121st-highest domestic grosser ever, passing ``Die Hard 2.'' Last weekend's winner, Eddie Murphy's prison-comedy ``Life,'' captured second with a still-solid $11.6 million at 2,598 theaters despite losing 43 percent from its opening. The Universal/Imagine release has gone past $37 million in 10 days and could wind up with $70 million overall. The only other solid performance came from 20th Century Fox's third weekend of Drew Barrymore's romantic comedy ``Never Been Kissed'' with $6.2 million at 2,495 sites to push its 17-day total past $31 million. For the second straight weekend, the same three films accounted for nearly half of all tickets sold. The strong returns for holdovers contrasted sharply with lukewarm openings for new releases with Fox's ``Pushing Tin,'' a drama focused on New Jersey air traffic controllers, finishing a distant fourth with $3.6 million at 1,283 theaters to top Warner's eighth weekend of ``Analyze This'' with $3.2 million at 2,130 locations. Warner's ``Lost & Found,'' a romantic comedy with David Spade David Wayne Spade (born July 22, 1964) is an Emmy-Award and Golden Globe-nominated American actor, comedian, television personality who gained fame in the 1990s as a cast member on Saturday Night Live. in an unaccustomed leading role, followed in sixth with a disappointing $3.1 million at 2,469 sites. Robert Bucksbaum, president of the Reel Source forecasting service, said the weekend's results underscored Hollywood's ongoing need for star power and product aimed at teen and young adult customers. ``You almost have to have an A-list actor to succeed when there are so many star-driven films in the market,'' Bucksbaum said. ``Movies that are oriented toward teen-agers are also holding up well.'' He predicted ``Pushing Tin,'' which received generally strong reviews, could take in $25 million overall but saw a dim future for ``Lost & Found'' with a final gross of no more than $8 million. Though overall business totaled an unimpressive $65 million, that was slightly ahead of the same weekend last year when ``The Big Hit'' opened with $10.8 million. Movie analyst Arthur Rockwell said the results were predictable and noted that late April tends to be a slow moviegoing period. ``It's a time when studios hold back a little bit because there usually are good pictures already out and more good pictures coming in May,'' Rockwell added. In this case, Fox should generate solid business next weekend from the opening of action-thriller ``Entrapment entrapment, in law, the instigation of a crime in the attempt to obtain cause for a criminal prosecution. Situations in which a government operative merely provides the occasion for the commission of a criminal act (e.g. ,'' with Sean Connery and Catherine Zeta-Jones, while Universal could see break-out returns from ``The Mummy'' on May 7, 12 days before ``Star Wars Episode' 1: The Phantom Menace'' begins its expected obliteration A destruction; an eradication of written words. Obliteration is a method of revoking a Will or a clause therein. Lines drawn through the signatures of witnesses to a will constitute an obliteration of the will even if the names are still decipherable. of box office records. Year-to-date grosses have reached $1.7 billion and trail 1998's by about 5 percent due to ``Titanic's'' success last year. Holdover hold·o·ver n. One that is held over from an earlier time: a political advisor who was a holdover from the Reagan era; a family tradition that is a holdover from my grandparents' childhood. Noun 1. comedies rounded out the rest of the top 10, led by Disney's fourth weekend of ``10 Things I Hate About You'' in seventh with $2.7 million at 2,235 theaters, followed by Paramount's fourth weekend of ``The Out-of-Towners'' with $2.03 million at 2,128 theaters, Sony's third weekend of ``Go'' with $1.96 million at 1,563 locations and DreamWorks' sixth weekend of ``Forces of Nature'' with $1.7 million at 1,950 theaters. October Films' fourth weekend of ``Cookie's Fortune'' followed with $1.3 million at 559 sites, edging Miramax's 20th weekend of ``Shakespeare in Love'' with $1.28 million at 1,181 theaters. ``Shakespeare,'' with seven Academy Awards including Best Picture, has totaled $91.7 million. Miramax's ``Life Is Beautiful'' came in 13th with $1.19 million at 1,019 theaters as the Italian-language favorite hit $51.8 million after 27 weeks of U.S. release. Less impressive was the studio's opening of offbeat off·beat n. Music An unaccented beat in a measure. adj. Slang Not conforming to an ordinary type or pattern; unconventional: offbeat humor. sci-fi thriller ``eXistenZ'' with $800,000 at 256 theaters. Paramount generated solid returns from its limited opening of ``Election,'' a well-reviewed comedy set at an Omaha high school Omaha High School may refer to:
New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of . Bucksbaum said the studio had made a sensible decision to open the film slowly since it may appeal more to adults than teen-agers. Final results for the Friday-Sunday period will be released today. TOP MOVIES Estimated grosses for Friday through Sunday at North American North American named after North America. North American blastomycosis see North American blastomycosis. North American cattle tick see boophilusannulatus. theaters. 1. ``The Matrix,'' $12.9 million. 2. ``Life,'' $11.6 million. 3. ``Never Been Kissed Never Been Kissed is a 1999 comedy directed by Raja Gosnell and starring Drew Barrymore, David Arquette, Michael Vartan, Molly Shannon, Leelee Sobieski, John C. Reilly, Jessica Alba, Marley Shelton, James Franco, Giuseppe Andrews, Jeremy Jordan and Garry Marshall. ,'' $6.2 million. 4. ``Pushing Tin,'' $3.6 million. 5. ``Analyze This,'' $3.2 million. 6. ``Lost & Found,'' $3.1 million. 7. ``10 Things I Hate About You,'' $2.7 million. 8. ``The Out-Of-Towners,'' $2.03 million. 9. ``Go,'' $1.96 million. 10. ``Forces of Nature,'' $1.7 million. CAPTION(S): box Box: Top movies (see text) |
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