Weekend Box Office : ‘Backdraft’ Slickered by ‘City’

Columbia’s release of Billy Crystal’s dude-ranch comedy “City Slickers” cooled off last week’s No. 1 film “Backdraft” and topped the weekend box office with $13 million on 1,992 screens. “Backdraft” business dropped 30%, but the film grossed $6.4 million--for a total of $38.5 million after three weeks. The biggest winner of the slow weekend was “Jungle Fever.” Spike Lee’s controversial look at interracial marriage finished No. 3 with $5.3 million on only 636 screens, for a per-screen average of $8,385.

* “Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead,” the big-screen debut of TV’s “Married . . . With Children” heartthrob Christina Applegate, opened mildly at No. 6.

Weekend Gross/ Screens/ Weeks in Movie (Studio) Total (millions) Average Release 1. “City Slickers” $13 1,992 1 (Columbia) $13 $6,542 2. “Backdraft” $6.4 1,947 3 (Universal) $38.5 $3,300 3. “Jungle Fever” $5.3 636 1 (Universal) $5.3 $8,385 4. “What About Bob?” $4.9 1,805 4 (Touchstone) $39.5 $2,692 5. “Soapdish” $4.4 1,275 2 (Paramount) $14.1 $3,452 * “Don’t Tell Mom ... “ $4.2 1,802 1 (Warner Bros) $4.2 $2,349

SOURCE: Exhibitor Relations Co.