CARREY ON TOP AS CROWDS FLOCK TO SEE `TRUMAN'; HYPE, GAMBLE PAY OFF FOR FILM.Byline: Dave McNary Daily News Staff Writer Moviegoers backed up the red-hot hype for Jim Carrey's ``The Truman Show'' with a powerful $31.6 million at 2,315 theaters nationwide during the Friday-Sunday period, studio sources said Sunday. The offbeat off·beat n. Music An unaccented beat in a measure. adj. Slang Not conforming to an ordinary type or pattern; unconventional: offbeat humor. comedy-fantasy, starring Carrey as a man whose entire life has been televised worldwide, opened amid exceptionally strong reviews and a massive publicity push designed to draw customers beyond Carrey's core of young, male supporters. Paramount executives said the strategy had worked well with 80 percent of viewers rating the film ``excellent'' or ``very good'' and solid support from all ages and 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. . ``We were able to draw very mixed audiences and broaden the base well past young males,'' said Wayne Lewellen, the studio's head of theatrical distribution. ``We're very pleased.'' Lewellen said Paramount will add 400 to 500 theaters to ``The Truman Show'' for the coming weekend, about 100 more than the studio's original plan. He predicted the film, which cost a relatively modest $60 million, should generate continued strong grosses well into the summer because of its unique premise. Analyst Arthur Rockwell of Drake Capital said Paramount has to be relieved about the performance because of uncertainty about whether moviegoers would want to see Carrey in a departure from his usual slapstick slapstick Comedy characterized by broad humour, absurd situations, and vigorous, often violent action. It took its name from a paddlelike device, probably introduced by 16th-century commedia dell'arte troupes, that produced a resounding whack when one comic actor used it to roles. ``It's clearly a high-risk project that will make a lot of profit,'' he said. Also opening impressively was Warner Bros BROS Brothers BROS Benefits and Retirement Operations Section (King County, Washington) BROS Barnes and Richmond Operatic Society (London, UK) .' ``A Perfect Murder,'' an updated remake re·make tr.v. re·made , re·mak·ing, re·makes To make again or anew. n. 1. The act of remaking. 2. Something in remade form, especially a new version of an earlier movie or song. of Alfred Hitchcock's ``Dial M For Murder,'' with Michael Douglas and Gwyneth Paltrow in the roles originally played by Ray Milland Ray Milland (January 3, 1905 or 1907 – March 10, 1986) was an Oscar-winning Welsh actor and director who worked primarily in the United States. His screen career ran from 1929 to 1985. and Grace Kelly Noun 1. Grace Kelly - United States film actress who retired when she married into the royal family of Monaco (1928-1982) Grace Patricia Kelly, Princess Grace of Monaco, Kelly . It finished a strong second with $16.2 million at 2,845 theaters, giving Warner - which suffered through a dismal 1997 - the prospect of another solid performer following ``City of Angels.'' Sony's third weekend of ``Godzilla'' finished third with a moderate $10 million at 3,310 theaters, pushing the monster lizard's 19-day take to $114.3 million. 20th Century Fox's second weekend of Sandra Bullock's ``Hope Floats'' followed with $8.5 million at 2,403 screens, giving the romantic comedy more then $28 million after 10 days. Paramount's fifth weekend of ``Deep Impact'' had $6.7 million at 3,280 theaters, boosting its 31-day take to $122 million and making it the 96th-highest domestic grosser ever behind ``Rocky III'' at $122.8 million. Disney's fourth weekend of ``The Horse Whisperer'' came in sixth with $5.1 million at 2,362 sites to pass $51 million. Warren Beatty's ``Bulworth'' finished seventh with a disappointing $2.2 million at 1,784 theaters in its third weekend of nationwide release by Fox. Miramax's second weekend of ``I Got the Hook-Up'' came in eighth with $1.65 million at 655 locations, edging Paramount's 25th weekend of ``Titanic'' with $1.63 million at 1,219 theaters. The latter has topped $582 million after 171 days and leads ``Star Wars'' as the best domestic grosser by $121 million. Rounding out the top 10 was Warner's fourth weekend of ``The Quest For Verb 1. quest for - go in search of or hunt for; "pursue a hobby" quest after, go after, pursue look for, search, seek - try to locate or discover, or try to establish the existence of; "The police are searching for clues"; "They are searching for the Camelot'' with $1.5 million at 1,562 sites. Final figures for this weekend will be released today. 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 as compiled by Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc.: 1. ``The Truman Show,'' $31.6 million. 2. ``A Perfect Murder,'' $16.2 million 3. ``Godzilla,'' $10 million. 4. ``Hope Floats,'' $8.5 million. 5. ``Deep Impact,'' $6.7 million. 6. ``The Horse Whisperer,'' $5.1 million. 7. ``Bulworth,'' $2.2 million. 8. ``I Got the Hook-Up,'' $1.65 million. 9. ``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. ,'' $1.63 million. 10. ``The Quest for Camelot
Quest for Camelot is an animated feature from Warner Bros. Animation, released in 1998. ,'' $1.5 million. CAPTION(S): Box Box: TOP MOVIES (See Text) |
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