‘Titanic’ Steers for Sixth on the List

“Titanic� the movie has yet to hit any icebergs on its remarkable run at the box office. Through last weekend, director James Cameron’s epic disaster-love story had grossed $308.1 million (more than $600 million worldwide) to become the seventh-highest grossing domestic film ever. “Titanic� swept past the previous No. 7 “Independence Day� ($306.2 million) and is now in a position to eclipse No. 6 “Return of the Jedi� ($309.2 million), No. 5 “The Lion King� ($312.9 million) and No. 4 “Forrest Gump� ($329.7 million). “Star Wars� leads all films with $461 million in domestic box office.

This was the seventh week that “Titanic� topped the box-office charts. In 1990, “Home Alone� was the No. 1 movie in America for 12 weeks in a row, ending up at $286 million. “Titanic� has grossed in excess of $25 million every weekend since its Dec. 19 release.

Meanwhile, “True Friends,� a film based on the real-life experiences of three buddies growing up in the Bronx, N.Y., that was shot on a shoestring budget with virtually no advertising to speak of, took in $15,475 at five Los Angeles-area theaters for a per-screen average of $3,095. The filmmakers borrowed on their credit cards and from family and friends to make the movie, even standing outside theaters greeting passersby inviting them to see the film.

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Weekend Box Office

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Three-day gross/ Screens/ Weeks in Movie (Studio) Total (millions) Average Release 1. “Titanic� $25.9 2,853 7 (Paramount/Fox) $308.1 $9,081 2. “Great Expectations� $9.6 1,867 1 (Fox) $9.6 $5,138 3. “Good Will Hunting� $8.4 1,831 9 (Miramax) $59.5 $4,605 4. “Spice World� $7.0 2,339 2 (Sony/Columbia) $19.0 $3,005 5. “As Good as It Gets� $6.6 1,778 6 (Sony/TriStar) $85.6 $3,717 6. “Desperate Measures� $5.8 1,963 1 (Sony/TriStar) $5.8 $2,972 7. “Wag the Dog� $4.8 1,685 6 (New Line) $29.5 $2,834 8. “Deep Rising� $4.7 1,758 1 (Disney/Hollywood) $4.7 $2,695 9. “Fallen� $2.8 2,150 3 (Warner Bros.) $21.4 $1,314 10. “Hard Rain� $2.7 2,132 3 (Paramount) $16.6 $1,260 “True Friends� $15,475 5 1 (2nd Generation) $15,475 $3,096

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SOURCE: Exhibitor Relations Co.