`SAMURAI' EPIC FINISHES FAR FROM LAST SNOWSTORMS DIM BOX OFFICE.

Byline: Greg Hernandez Staff Writer

Tom Cruise scored his fourth consecutive No. 1 opening at the box office, with his ``The Last Samurai'' epic earning $24.4 million to easily conquer the competition over the weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday.

But an overall post-holiday box office malaise and severe snowstorms in the Northeast contributed to attendance falling by 27 percent from last weekend as several returning films dropped in business by 60 percent or more.

Warner Bros. Distribution President Dan Fellman estimates that ``Samurai'' lost $3.5 million to $4 million in grosses because of the snowstorms, but was still pleased with the performance of a film that he believes will run solidly through the holidays and also has strong Academy Awards potential.

``We certainly have a major epic movie, and there is very good word of mouth,'' Fellman said. ``Our exit interviews were some of the best in company history.''

``Samurai'' was proof of the continuing box office appeal of Cruise, who first hit two decades ago in 1983's ``Risky Business.'' Since 1986's ``Top Gun,'' 10 of his films have gone on to gross at least $100 million domestically.

``This guy is the greatest insurance policy for a No. 1 opening that I know of,'' said box office analyst Paul Dergarabedian, president of Exhibitor Relations Co. ``His name at the top of a marquee in a wide release virtually guarantees a top opening and a $100 million gross.''

The news was also good for Universal Pictures, which effectively counterprogrammed against ``Samurai'' with the dance movie ``Honey'' starring Jessica Alba. Young females flocked to the film, which opened in the No. 2 spot with a solid $14 million gross, almost as much as it cost to make.

```Honey' is sweet,'' joked Universal Pictures Distribution President Nikki Rocco. ``We chose this date because we saw a void in the marketplace for a picture for teens, particularly girls, and the strategy worked.''

The strong performance of ``Honey'' and top 10 finishes for ``Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat'' and ``Love Actually'' were enough to put Universal over the $1 billion mark in domestic box office grosses for only the second time in its history. The last time Universal reached the milestone was in 2000.

Warner Bros., along with Disney and Sony, have already surpassed the $1 billion mark in 2003, marking the first time four separate studios have reached the milestone in the same year.

But ``Cat,'' which spent the last two weekends at No. 1, plummeted to No. 5 as it experienced a 70 percent drop in business. It was not alone as most other films in the top 10 including ``The Haunted Mansion,'' ``Elf'' and ``Gothika'' suffered major drops considered typical the weekend after Thanksgiving.

``A lot of people went to the movies over Thanksgiving and this weekend they are shopping or putting up Christmas lights, and I'm sure there were some people snowbound who could not get to the theaters,'' Dergarabedian said.

Greg Hernandez, [phone]

greg.hernandez(at)dailynews.com

TOP 10 MOVIES

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at North American theaters, according to Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc. Final figures will be released today.

1. ``The Last Samurai,'' $24.4 million.

2. ``Honey,'' $14 million.

3. ``The Haunted Mansion,'' $9.5 million

4. ``Elf,'' $8.1 million.

5. ``Dr. Seuss' the Cat in the Hat,'' $7.3 million.

6. ``Bad Santa,'' $7 million.

7. ``Gothika,'' $5.3 million.

8. ``The Missing,'' $4.4 million.

9. ``Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World,'' $3.8 million.

10. ``Love Actually,'' $3.7 million.

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TOP 10 MOVIES (see text)