Weekend Box Office : ‘Dumb and Dumber’ Has Last Laugh

“Dumb and Dumber,” the no-brain Jim Carrey comedy, again looked smarter than its competition, taking in $9.2 million to capture first place in the weekly box-office race. In four weeks of release, the movie has grossed nearly $80 million for New Line Cinema, proving that Carrey’s $7-million fee to star in the movie was money well spent.

“Houseguest,” a Disney comedy starring Sinbad in his debut movie role as an enterprising entrepreneur who convinces a lawyer (Phil Hartman) that he is the childhood chum who was due in for a family visit, debuted with a respectable $5.8 million. It was the only new major movie opening this weekend.

Meanwhile, Christmas may be a fading memory, but Disney’s “The Santa Clause,” starring TV’s Tim Allen, didn’t return yet to the North Pole. The film still took in $2 million over the weekend to bring its nine-week total to more than $140 million.

Weekend Gross/ Screens/ Weeks in Movie (Studio) Total (millions) Average Release 1. “Dumb and Dumber” $9.2 2,535 4 (New Line) $79 $3,620 2. “Disclosure” $7.3 2,082 5 (Warner Bros.) $61.6 $3,488 3. “Houseguest” $5.8 1,238 1 (Disney) $5.8 $4,710 4. “Little Women” $5.1 1,579 3 (Columbia) $27.5 $3,203 5. “Nell” $4.6 1,201 4 (Fox) $18.7 $3,842 6. “The Jungle Book” $4.4 1,986 3 (Disney) $27.9 $2,225 7. “I.Q.” $3.7 1,412 3 (Paramount) $18 $2,633 8. “Richie Rich” $3.6 1,761 3 (Warner Bros.) $28.1 $2,074 9. “Streetfighter” $3.2 1,738 3 (Universal) $25.7 $1,850 10. “The Santa Clause” $2.1 2,002 9 (Disney) $140.8 $1,045

SOURCE: Exhibitor Relations Co.