FIRST OFF . . .

Can a sweep of the Oscars make a difference where it really counts? Apparently so. Columbia Pictures distribution president Jim Spitz reported a big jump in box-office revenues for Academy Awards champ “The Last Emperor.” “The picture exploded last night, we went up 240%,” Spitz said Wednesday. The Bernardo Bertolucci epic grossed $72,300 on Monday and $243,168 on Tuesday at 455 theaters nationwide, Spitz said. He acknowledged that the Monday total might have been artificially low, since many moviegoers were home watching the Academy Awards, but countered: “Well, it’s clearly indicative that this picture’s going to go over the top.” Entertainment Data, Inc., which compiles box-office figures and other entertainment industry statistics, confirmed Spitz’s data and reported that Tuesday’s “Emperor” attendance in six major cities was 106% greater than a week earlier. The firm also reported that the No. 2 Oscar winner, Orion’s “Moonstruck,” increased its box-office take 110% between Monday and Tuesday--55% over last Tuesday. Several Los Angeles theaters currently screening “Emperor” showed even more dramatic box-office increases. A spokesman for the Laemmle theater chain said business at one theater jumped a whopping 700% over last Tuesday. Columbia, which had given the film only limited distribution, has now decided to make 427 new “Emperor” prints available to theaters this weekend.