KING OF THE 'MOUNTAIN GLOBES WINS PUT `BROKEBACK' ATOP BOX OFFICE.

Byline: Greg Hernandez Staff Writer

Powered by four Golden Globe Award wins, including best dramatic picture, ``Brokeback Mountain'' climbed to the No. 1 spot on the box office charts for the first time Tuesday, then repeated the feat on Wednesday.

Now the big question: How will the acclaimed movie about two cowboys in love do during its first weekend of wide release? The Focus Features film expands into just under 1,200 theaters today.

``We'll see if it's got the gumption to become a mainstream hit,'' said Brandon Gray, president of Box Office Mojo. ``Each weekend has been a test for this movie, it seems like, and it has passed with flying colors. I would expect it to do very well this weekend.''

As of Wednesday, the film starring Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal had grossed $33.5 million in limited release. For more than a month, ``Brokeback'' has had the highest per-screen average of any film in the top 15 and managed to maintain its high average even as it expanded from several dozens of theaters to its Thursday count of 683 locations.

``This is a unique situation where the effect of the Globes was really felt because it did get up to first place,'' said Focus distribution head Jack Foley. ``What's exciting about that is that it bodes well for what could occur this weekend. We are in a great situation because the film still is in ascent.''

Despite its midweek reign, box office analysts said Thursday that a No. 1 weekend finish may be too much to expect, since ``Brokeback'' will be competing against the debut of ``Underworld: Evolution,'' the sequel to the surprise 2003 hit. ``Underworld,'' distributed by Sony/Screen Gems, debuts today in more than 3,200 theaters.

```Underworld' has triple the amount of theaters and will attract that whole horror sci-fi crowd, but I definitely think 'Brokeback' will gallop into the top five and might even make the top three,'' said Gitesh Pandya, editor of BoxOfficeGuru.com. ``It's got some great momentum behind it with the Golden Globes having ignited a fire that has gotten moviegoers across the country curious about this film.''

Foley said gays and females continue to be the biggest demographic but with word-of-mouth strong, the audience has expanded to baby boomers, and ``Brokeback'' has also become something of a date movie for heterosexual couples.

``You can't do the level we are doing by just having these niche demographics of strictly gay or female,'' Foley said. ``You can see in the suburbs of Los Angeles, New York and Chicago where you have lots of straights and married couples going.''

With a gay romance at the heart of the Ang Lee-directed film, there has been surprisingly little controversy, with ``Brokeback'' being booked into more than 200 markets so far. One exception was a movie theater in Salt Lake City owned by Utah Jazz owner Larry Miller, which dropped its original plans to screen the film. But other theaters in the city have been showing the film.

``The fact is, the film is playing very well across the country without any exception,'' Foley said. ``Why we increased the number of runs this week was not only to take advantage of the Globes but the fact is the new markets are still overperforming and that is what we are exploiting.''

``The exhibitors are seeing that whether it's in the South or the Midwest, where everyone would make you believe that the film can't play there, they want the business out of it,'' he added.

``Brokeback'' has established itself as the front-runner for a best picture nod when Academy Award nominations are announced Jan. 31. The film not only won the top trophy at the Golden Globes, it was also named best picture by the Broadcast Film Critics Association and by critics' groups in Los Angeles, New York, Boston, San Francisco and Dallas-Fort Worth, among others.

``Brokeback'' also received the Golden Lion Award at the Venice Film Festival and will compete this weekend for the Producers Guild of America's Golden Laurel Award.

The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation this week praised The Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which hands out the Globes, for recognizing ``the emotional authenticity of this film and its power to connect with both gay and straight audiences alike,'' said GLAAD President Neil G. Giuliano. ``The critical and award-winning success of movies like 'Brokeback Mountain' ... should send a very clear message to Hollywood that there is a market for these kinds of smart, inclusive films.''

Greg Hernandez, [phone]

greg.hernandez(at)dailynews.comdlim!

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Photo:

(color) ``Brokeback Mountain'' director Ang Lee holds up his Golden Globe.

Steve Liu/Associated Press