`RUSH HOUR' REMAINS IN DRIVER'S SEAT; BUDDY-COP COMEDY STRONG IN 2ND WEEK.Byline: Dave McNary Daily News Staff Writer Action-comedy ``Rush Hour'' continued to speed past rivals on its way to dominating the nation's box office with an estimated $21.4 million at 2,643 theaters during the Friday-Sunday period, studio sources said Sunday. The second weekend of the Chris Tucker-Jackie Chan vehicle performed better than expected, particularly given competition from Major League Baseball's regular season finale and the home-run record drama between Mark McGwire It was the second-best weekend single-film take ever during September-October - usually one of the year's slowest moviegoing periods - following last weekend's record-setting $33 million debut. Analyst Arthur Rockwell of Drake drake 1. male duck. 2. loliumtemulentum. & Co. said ``Rush Hour'' has succeeded because it meets audience expectations. ``When you hit the genre right, you can make a lot of money,'' he added. ``Rush Hour'' has taken in $64.4 million in 10 days and will wind up with a final U.S. gross of $105 million, said Robert Bucksbaum, president of the Reel Source forecasting service, who noted that the film took in an impressive $9.4 million on Saturday. ``That's a pretty hefty number with so much interest in baseball,'' he said. New Line distribution executive Al Shapiro said ``Rush Hour'' is generating significant repeat business. ``It is performing well in all markets and to all demographics The attributes of people in a particular geographic area. Used for marketing purposes, population, ethnic origins, religion, spoken language, income and age range are examples of demographic data. ,'' he noted. ``Rush Hour'' took in nearly the combined gross of its two nearest rivals - MGM's debut of spy thriller ``Ronin ronin (rō`nĭn), in Japanese history, masterless samurai. Ronin were retainers who were deprived of their place in the usual loyalty patterns of Japanese feudalism. ,'' with $12.3 million at 2,487 theaters, and Sony's opening of the latest teen-screamer ``Urban Legend Myths about anything and everything that barely have a shred of truth in them, yet seem to take on a persistent life of their own. Before the Internet, such urban folklore as "alligators in New York City sewers" was carried in magazines and newspapers. ,'' with $11 million at 2,257 sites. Analysts said both roll-outs performed in line with expectations. `` `Ronin' did pretty well considering that similar movies have done poorly recently and all of MGM's financial problems,'' Bucksbaum said. ``The studio had a very solid marketing campaign for it.'' As for ``Urban Legend,'' in which college students are menaced by a serial killer serial killer Forensic psychiatry A person who commits serial murders Prototypic SK White ♂ age 30; 97% are ♂; 80% are sociopaths. See Dahmer, Depraved heart murder, Ice Man. Cf Megan's law, Son of Sam law. , it became another success in the red-hot genre, beloved by studios because of its low cost and solid returns. ``Urban Legend,'' with a $14 million price tag, follows the two ``Scream'' movies, ``I Know What You Did Last Summer'' and ``Halloween: H20.'' ``I would say `Urban Legend' certainly hit its target audience,'' Rockwell said. Leading the rest of the slate was comedy 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. ``There's Something About Mary,'' now in its 11th week, with $4.5 million at 2,470 theaters. It lost only 20 percent from the previous weekend despite direct competition from ``Rush Hour.'' Its overall take has hit $153.3 million, making it the 56th-highest domestic grosser ever after ``Jerry Maguire This article has multiple issues: * It does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by citing reliable sources. * It reads like a personal reflection or essay. .'' ``Mary'' edged the second weekend of Universal's family drama ``One True Thing,'' which took in $4.4 million at 1,625 theaters. Disney's third weekend of ``Simon Birch'' came in sixth, with $2.7 million at 923 theaters, topping DreamWorks 10th weekend of ``Saving Private Ryan,'' with $2.6 million at 2,203 sites, and the third weekend of Miramax's fast-fading ``Rounders round·er n. 1. One that rounds, especially a tool for rounding corners and edges. 2. One, such as a security guard, who makes rounds. 3. A dissolute person. 4. Sports a. ,'' with $2.5 million at 2,188 sites. ``Saving Private Ryan has grossed $181.9 million after 66 days and is now the 32nd-highest domestic grosser after ``The Fugitive.'' New Line's sixth weekend of ``Blade'' finished ninth with $2 million at 2,232 theaters, followed by Fox's ninth weekend of ``Ever After,'' with $1.3 million, and Disney's 13th weekend of ``Armageddon,'' with $875,000 at 1,128 theaters. `Armageddon'' has a domestic gross of $197.1 million and ranks 26th on the all-time U.S. list after ``Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.'' Final figures for this weekend will be released today. TOP 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. ``Rush Hour,'' $21.4 million. 2. ``Ronin,'' $12.3 million. 3. ``Urban Legend,'' $11 million. 4. ``There's Something About Mary,'' $4.5 million. 5. ``One True Thing,'' $4.4 million. 6. ``Simon Birch birch, common name for some members of the Betulaceae, a family of deciduous trees or shrubs bearing male and female flowers on separate plants, widely distributed in the Northern Hemisphere. ,'' $2.7 million. 7. ``Saving Private Ryan,'' $2.6 million. 8. ``Rounders,'' $2.5 million. 9. ``Blade,'' $2 million. 10. ``Ever After,'' $1.3 million. CAPTION(S): box Box: Top movies (see text) |
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