‘Flubber’ Stays One Bounce Ahead of Pack

The Goo Two held their own at the box office as “Flubber” and “Alien Resurrection” topped the list in one of the slowest movie-going weekends of the year, according to industry estimates Sunday.

“Flubber,” the Disney remake of its 1961 comedy “The Absent Minded Professor,” was No. 1 for a second week. It grossed $11.8 million during the weekend, for a total of $51 million in just two weeks, according to the box-office tracking firm Exhibitor Relations Co.

20th Century Fox’s “Alien Resurrection,” fourth in the series about Sigourney Weaver’s battle with acid-spouting space monsters, grossed $6.25 million for second place, followed by the Paramount Pictures release “John Grisham’s The Rainmaker,” with $5.7 million.

Competition was light; not a single new film opened in wide release as distributors held back product for the prime Christmas season.

“We call this, always, the calm before the storm. In this case we’re not referring to El Nino,” said Robert Bucksbaum, president of Reel Source Inc., an industry newsletter. “It’s avoided like the plague by studios that are thinking about opening new major films. They don’t do well.”

“We go from celebrating to shopping, getting ready for family things,” said Tom Sherak, chairman of 20th Century Fox Domestic Film Group, of the post-Thanksgiving, pre-Christmas period. “There’s football, there’s all kinds of stuff to take our minds off movies. And the studios know it’s hard to compete.”

“Good Will Hunting,” a widely praised film about a troubled genius that features “Flubber” star Robin Williams, opened on just seven screens but proved a minor hit. The Miramax Films release, from director Gus Van Sant, took in an estimated $260,000 for an enormous per-screen average of about $37,000.

The Christmas race begins this week when Steven Spielberg’s slavery drama “Amistad” opens in limited release. Other openers include “Scream 2,” a highly anticipated horror sequel that could open at more than $25 million, Bucksbaum said. The epic “Titanic” and the James Bond film “Tomorrow Never Dies” are in the pack due on Dec. 19.

Meanwhile, “Flubber” continued to perform despite weak reviews.

“Fortunately we deposit box office in the bank and not critics,” said Phil Barlow, president of Disney’s Buena Vista Pictures Distribution. “People love the movie.”

He defended Disney’s recent rash of remakes.

“Just like in school they teach the classics, we have our own classics,” he said. “It’s a very well-stocked cupboard. It would be nuts not to take advantage of it.”

Fox’s Sherak said he was pleased with the ticket sales for “Alien Resurrection,” which needed to do well in its early weeks. Science-fiction horror films have short rides, he said.

Rounding out the top 10 were Fox’s “Anastasia,” in fourth, with $4.55 million; Universal Pictures’ “The Jackal,” $4 million; Warner Bros.’ “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil,” $3 million; New Line Cinema’s “Mortal Kombat Annihilation,” $2.5 million; Sony/Columbia Pictures’ “I Know What You Did Last Summer,” $1.35 million; Gramercy Pictures’ “Bean,” $1.29 million; and Sony/TriStar’s “Starship Troopers,” $1.25 million.

All weekend figures are estimates; final results will be released today.