Weekend Box Office : ‘Fugitive’ Breaks the $100-Million Mark

The summer of ’93 continued its record-breaking course, as the nation’s box office exceeded that of last year’s for the 10th weekend in a row. “The public evidently decided that the pictures released were better than usual,� says John Krier, president of Exhibitor Relations. “And since there was a real mix--action/adventure, sentimental, sci-fi and many more children’s films than the norm, there was virtually something for everyone.�

Once again, Warner Bros.’ “The Fugitive� dominated the week, becoming the fourth film this summer (with “Jurassic Park,� “Sleepless in Seattle,� and “The Firm�) to pass the $100-million mark. This week’s six new releases fared less well, with only two of them--�Columbia’s “Needful Things� and Warners’ “Man Without a Face�--penetrating the Top 10.

* “The Wedding Banquet,� the story of a Taiwanese gay man and his “marriage of inconvenience “ to a straight female tenant, held strong during week four--the first in which the Samuel Goldwyn Co. expanded the release beyond cities with major gay and Asian populations.

Weekend Gross/ Screens/ Weeks in Movie (Studio) Total (millions) Average Release 1. “The Fugitive� $14.5 2,425 4 (Warner Bros.) $111.2 $5,981 2. “Needful Things� $5.2 1,963 1 (Columbia) $5.2 $2,650 3. “Hard Target� $5.0 1,999 2 (Universal) $18.5 $2,515 4. “Man Without a Face� $4.0 865 1 (Warner Bros.) $5.2 $4,655 5. “The Secret Garden� $3.4 1,332 3 (Warner Bros.) $18.2 $2,517 6. “Jurassic Park� $2.9 1,469 12 (Universal) $311.1 $1,990 7. “Rising Sun� $2.8 1,424 5 (Fox) $52.7 $1,973 8. “In the Line of Fire� $2.6 1,472 8 (Columbia) $93.7 $1,773 9. “Free Willy� $2.3 1,505 7 (Warner Bros.) $63.0 $1,504 10. “Sleepless in Seattle� $2.1 1,283 10 (TriStar) $109.2 $1,600 * “The Wedding Banquet� $341,581 34 4 (Goldwyn) $1.4 $10,046

SOURCE: Exhibitor Relations Co.