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Technology Stocks : Walt Disney -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Captain Jack who wrote (1845)	8/22/1999 9:38:00 PM
From: KS	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 2222

August 22, 1999 14:59 "Sixth Sense" leads box office for third weekend By Dean Goodman LOS ANGELES, Aug 22 (Reuters) - Untroubled by three sub-par new releases, "The Sixth Sense" held pole position at the North American box office for the third consecutive weekend, earning more than the next two movies combined. According to studio estimates issued on Sunday, "The Sixth Sense" pulled in about $24.1 million for the Friday-to-Sunday period, a slip of just 6 percent from the previous weekend. By contrast the Steve Martin comedy "Bowfinger" (Universal), which retained the No. 2 position with $10.7 million, fell 41 percent from its opening weekend. "Mickey Blue Eyes" (Warner Bros.), a fish-out-of-water Mafia comedy starring Hugh Grant, opened at No. 3 with $10.4 million. The film received mixed reviews from critics, and its opening pales against the $27.7 million launch of "Notting Hill", starring Grant and Julia Roberts, in May. WB distribution president Dan Fellman said he was very happy with the opening, and noted that the movie was relatively cheap at less than $40 million. The audience was primarily older females, indicating that the film's mob plot was not enough to bring in young males. The film was produced by Grant's girlfriend, Elizabeth Hurley, through the couple's Simian Films banner. After 17 days in release, "The Sixth Sense" (Walt Disney Co.'s Hollywood Pictures), has pulled in $107.7 million, and is on course to double that, said Chuck Viane, president of Disney's Buena Vista Pictures distribution unit. He said the tale of a child psychologist (played by Bruce Willis), who gains a fresh insight into his own existence when he counsels a boy (Haley Joel Osment) who can see dead people has struck a chord with moviegoers. "It's accessible to all age groups, and a lot of people are sampling the movie a second and a third time," Viane said, to reevaluate the movie's shocking ending. The movie is likely to top the charts next weekend as well, making it the first to enjoy such a four-week stretch since "Saving Private Ryan" last July-August. "Bowfinger's" 10-day total is $35.9 million. Rounding out the top five were "The Runaway Bride" (Paramount), at No. 4 with $9.4 million (24-day total $113.6 million); two movies vied for No. 5 for about $7.1 million each, "The Thomas Crown Affair" (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer) with a 17-day total $42.3 million and "The Blair Witch Project" (Artisan) with a 40-day total of $120.5 million. The other new releases did much worse: "Universal Soldier -- The Return" (TriStar), an action movie starring Jean-Claude Van Damme, opened at No. 7 with $4.7 million; while the high school black comedy "Teaching Mrs. Tingle" (Miramax) opened at No. 10 with $3.5 million. A TriStar spokesman said the "Soldier" opening was on par with Van Damme's recent releases. The original opened to about $10 million in July 1992 and finished up with $36.2 million. A Miramax spokesman declined to comment on "Tingle", which marks the feature directing debut of Kevin Williamson, the screenwriter of the "Scream" franchise and creator of television's "Dawson's Creek." Rounding out the top 10 were Walt Disney Pictures' "Inspector Gadget" at No. 8 with $4.3 million (31-day total $83.2 million); and Warner Bros' "Deep Blue Sea" at No. 9 with $3.8 million (26-day total $63.7 million). Universal Pictures is a unit of Seagram Co. Ltd. Warner Bros. is a unit of Time Warner Inc. Paramount Pictures is a unit of Viacom Inc. TriStar Pictures is a unit of Sony Corp. Miramax Films is a unit of Disney. Artisan Entertainment is privately held. <TWX.N >