SHORT TAKES : ‘War of the Roses’ Knocks Out ‘She-Devil’ at the Box Office

The superstar duo of Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner scored a box-office technical knockout of Meryl Streep and Roseanne Barr, as Fox’s black comedy “War of the Roses� opened with an estimated $9.3 million on 1,260 screens, compared to $3.5 million on 1,403 screens for the debut of Orion’s “She-Devil.� Both films feature big-name celebrities doing battle in marital break ups, but in per-screen averages, the final count was: Douglas-Turner $7,380 (estimate), Streep-Barr $2,502, according to Exhibitor Relations Co.

Warner Bros.’ holiday spoof “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation,� in its second week, vied for No. 1 with “War of the Roses� with an estimated $9.3 million, although neither film was a clear leader. Universal’s “Back to the Future Part II,� which lost 72% of its record-breaking Thanksgiving business last weekend, tumbled 42% in the box office this weekend to land in the No. 3 spot. Still, $7 million in receipts was good enough to push the film’s total earnings after three weeks to $69.4 million.

Tri-Star’s “Steel Magnolias� placed fifth with $3 million, raising its total to $27.5 million. The box-office Top 10 was rounded out by Paramount’s Eddie Murphy vehicle, “Harlem Nights� ($2.9 million); Disney’s animated fairy tale, “The Little Mermaid� ($2.8 million); Tri-Star’s comedy, “Look Who’s Talking� ($2.5 million); Orion’s holiday fantasy, “Prancer� ($1.6 million); and MGM/UA’s canine cartoon, “All Dogs Go to Heaven� ($1.5 million).

“Triumph of the Spirit,� a dramatic look at Auschwitz through the eyes of a Greek Jew and former boxing champion (played by Willem Dafoe) who was forced to fight other prisoners to survive, opened softly with an estimated $21,000 on two screens.