BLOCKBUSTER WAR FUELED BY BRAGGING.Byline: Hollywood Hollywood. 1 Community within the city of Los Angeles, S Calif., on the slopes of the Santa Monica Mts.; inc. 1903, consolidated with Los Angeles 1910. Reporter In the first weeks of what is shaping up as a hugely lucrative summer at the box office, the war for bragging rights by the major movie distributors has become hotter than an August afternoon in the Valley. On the heels of the 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. openings during May of Warner Bros BROS Brothers BROS Benefits and Retirement Operations Section (King County, Washington) BROS Barnes and Richmond Operatic Society (London, UK) .' ``Twister'' and Paramount's ``Mission: Impossible,'' Universal Pictures sent a shot over the bow of its competitors Thursday Thursday: see week. with a news release unequivocally stating that ``Jurassic Park,'' released in 1993, still holds the record as the highest-grossing opening week in history. The Universal news release, for which none of the studio's executives would provide additional on-the-record on-the-rec·ord adj. Intended for publication or attribution: on-the-record comments by the senator. comment, followed a month in which top studio executives have had heated discussions both internally and with competitors and the media about who really holds what box office record. There has been no shortage of claims. This past week it was Paramount Pictures' turn to empty the cupboard of every imaginable i·mag·i·na·ble adj. Conceivable in the imagination: imaginable exploits. i·mag record. Paramount noted that the ``Mission'' preopening preview on Tuesday Tuesday: see week. , May 21, set a record for previews ($3.4 million). The Wednesday, May 22, ``Mission'' opening day ($11.8 million, including the May 21 previews) became the top Wednesday opener. The May 24-26 Friday-to-Sunday total ($45.4 million) broke the mark for May three-day openings (which had been set by ``Twister's'' $41 million). The four-day Memorial Day weekend total for ``Mission'' set another record ($56.9 million). The studio even noted that ``Mission'' was the largest Tom Cruise movie ever to open (citing the above Friday-to-Sunday gross that beat the three-day total for ``Interview With the Vampire'' in 1994). But heads at Universal began turning when Paramount laid claim to history's largest six-day opening ($74.9 million) for ``Mission,'' edging ``Jurassic's'' six-day total of $74.1 million. When the seven-day totals for ``Mission'' came in, Universal fired back. The Universal release Thursday heralded that ``Jurassic'' was the seven-day champ at $81.7 million, besting ``Mission's'' $79 million one-week total. Paramount conceded con·cede v. con·ced·ed, con·ced·ing, con·cedes v.tr. 1. To acknowledge, often reluctantly, as being true, just, or proper; admit. See Synonyms at acknowledge. 2. that ``Mission'' had lost the overall seven-day battle, but a studio spokesman noted Thursday that ``Mission'' was ``a record-breaking seven-day opener for all Paramount Pictures releases.'' ``We know this stuff can get a little crazy,'' said a top Paramount distribution executive, ``but we're not claiming anything that's not true. The message we're just trying to get out is that the numbers for `Mission' are incredible when you take into account we opened it in May.'' |
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