CARDSHARP FILM `ROUNDERS' HOLDS ACES AT BOX OFFICE.Byline: Dave McNary Daily News Staff Writer Moviegoers dealt ``Rounders'' a winning hand at the nation's box office, giving it an estimated $8.8 million at 2,176 theaters nationwide during the Friday-Sunday period, studio sources said Sunday. ``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. ,'' a Miramax drama about the world of high-stakes poker, was the first film since ``He Got Game'' opened in early May to lead the slate with less than $10 million. Customers, who traditionally cut back on moviegoing after Labor Day Labor Day, holiday celebrated in the United States and Canada on the first Monday in September to honor the laborer. It was inaugurated by the Knights of Labor in 1882 and made a national holiday by the U.S. Congress in 1894. , spent only $50 million overall at the box office - less than half the total of some of this summer's weekends. ``Rounders'' benefited from the star power of Matt Damon, playing a law student turned cardsharp, and the appeal of gambling to male customers. Robert Bucksbaum, president of the Reel Source forecasting service, said the film presented a tricky marketing problem in broadening its core audience. ``I don't think there's much crossover Crossover The point on a stock chart when a security and an indicator intersect. Crossovers are used by technical analysts to aid in forecasting the future movements in the price of a stock. In most technical analysis models, a crossover is a signal to either buy or sell. appeal to women,'' said Bucksbaum, who predicted ``Rounders'' will wind up with $38 million overall. 20th Century Fox's surprise hit ``There Something About Mary'' continued its astonishing a·ston·ish tr.v. as·ton·ished, as·ton·ish·ing, as·ton·ish·es To fill with sudden wonder or amazement. See Synonyms at surprise. performance in second, a week after topping the box office for the first time, with $7.5 million at 2,557 theaters - a decline of only 15 percent from the previous Friday-Sunday period and enough to push the comedy's 61-day take to $139.7 million. Bucksbaum predicted that the ongoing popularity of ``Mary'' portends a large opening - up to $14 million - next weekend for New Line's Chris Tucker-Jackie Chan comedy, ``Rush Hour.'' ``People really want to laugh these days,'' he said. ``Mary'' is now the 74th-highest domestic grosser ever and could take in an additional $35 million by the end of its run. New Line's fourth weekend of ``Blade'' finished third with $5 million at 2,389 theaters to edge DreamWorks' eighth weekend of ``Saving Private Ryan,'' which made $4.7 million at 2,705 sites to give the D-Day drama $173.2 million after 52 days. ``Ryan,'' which could finish well above $200 million due to its status as a front-running candidate for multiple Academy Awards, is now the 39th-highest domestic grosser after ``Crocodile crocodile, large, carnivorous reptile of the order Crocodilia, found in tropical and subtropical regions. Crocodiles live in swamps or on river banks and catch their prey in the water. They have flattened bodies and tails, short legs, and powerful jaws. Dundee.'' Disney's opening of family drama ``Simon Birch'' performed respectably in fifth with $3.3 million at only 596 theaters. The studio plans to add an additional 300 screens next weekend to take advantage of what it believes is strong word-of-mouth among moviegoers for the story based on John Irving's novel ``A Prayer for Owen Meany A Prayer for Owen Meany is a novel by American writer John Irving, first published in 1989. Plot summary The novel is told through the eyes of an older, very much matured John Wheelwright who elaborates on the events surrounding his close friendship with Owen Meany .'' ``The public loves this movie, so our strategy is to allow it to percolate percolate /per·co·late/ (per´kah-lat) 1. to strain; to submit to percolation. 2. to trickle slowly through a substance. 3. a liquid that has been submitted to percolation. first,'' said Disney distribution executive Phil Barlow bar·low n. An inexpensive, one- or two-bladed pocketknife. [After Barlow, the family name of its makers, two brothers in Sheffield, England.] , who noted it is a rarity for a film in fewer than 600 theaters to crack the top five. Fox's seventh weekend of ``Ever After'' continued to draw well in sixth, with $2.4 million at 1,937 theaters to push past $57 million overall. Sony's second weekend of ``Knock Off,'' starring Jean-Claude Van Damme, nearly disappeared in seventh with $1.9 million at 1,800 theaters. Rounding out the top 10 were Paramount's sixth weekend of ``Snake Eyes,'' with $1.8 million at 1,681 sites, Disney's 11th weekend of ``Armageddon,'' with $1.6 million at 1,334 locations, and Miramax's third weekend of ``54,'' with $1.5 million at 1,765 screens. Expected to be one of the major late-summer releases, ``54'' was unable to attract teen-agers and young adults in the recap re·cap 1 tr.v. re·capped, re·cap·ping, re·caps 1. To replace a cap or caplike covering on: recapped the bottle. 2. of the late '70s disco era, Bucksbaum noted. Disney's seventh weekend of ``The Parent Trap'' finished a close 11th, with $1.3 million at 1,671 theaters to reach $62 million overall. The studio's ``Armageddon'' has gone past $194 million and ranks 26th on the all-time domestic list after ``Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.'' Fine Line's limited opening of ``Let's Talk About Sex,'' a documentary/drama set in Miami, generated virtually no interest with a feeble fee·ble adj. fee·bler, fee·blest 1. a. Lacking strength; weak. b. Indicating weakness. 2. Lacking vigor, force, or effectiveness; inadequate. See Synonyms at weak. $218,000 at 258 theaters. ``Putting the word `sex' in the title is a mistake, but it will probably do well on video,'' Bucksbaum noted. Year-to-date business is nearing $4.8 billion and is 12 percent ahead of the same period last year. Paramount's ``Titanic Titanic (tītăn`ĭk), British liner that sank on the night of Apr. 14–15, 1912, after crashing into an iceberg in the N Atlantic S of Newfoundland. More than 1,500 lives were lost. ,'' a source of much of that gain, drew a mere $55,000 at 337 theaters in its 39th weekend. Its overall domestic total is $600.7 million, or $140 million more than its closest rival, ``Star Wars.'' TOP MOVIES Here are estimated grosses for the top movies 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. ``Rounders,'' $8.8 million. 2. ``There's Something About Mary,'' $7.5 million. 3. ``Blade,'' $5 million. 4. ``Saving Private Ryan,'' $4.7 million. 5. ``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. ,'' $3.3 million. 6. ``Ever After,'' $2.4 million. 7. ``Knock Off,'' $1.9 million. 8. ``Snake Eyes,'' $1.8 million. 9. ``Armageddon,'' $1.6 million. 10. ``54,'' $1.5 million. CAPTION(S): box Box: Top movies (see text) |
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