Slow Going at the Cineplex

Call it the post-Thanksgiving holiday blahs, but the movie box office took a dive this past weekend with no films opening widely. Exhibitor Relations Inc., a company that tracks box-office results, said the weekend take for films grossing at least $500,000 was $47.5 million--the lowest weekend since Sept. 13, 1996, when the box office sank to $45.6 million.

John Krier, president of Exhibitor Relations, said the fact that no films opened widely was rare, but not unprecedented, and noted that the week after the long Thanksgiving holiday weekend is traditionally a slow time for filmgoing.

* “Good Will Hunting,” a Miramax release starring Matt Damon and Robin Williams, opened on only seven screens in Los Angeles and New York, grossing $272,912 for a strong per screen average of $38,987.

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Three-day gross/ Screens/ Weeks in Movie (Studio) Total (millions) Average Release 1. “Flubber” $11.3 2,653 2 (Disney) $50.0 $4,257 2. “Alien Resurrection” $6.7 2,449 2 (Fox) $36.2 $2,720 3. “John Grisham’s $5.7 2,369 3 The Rainmaker (Paramount) $34.5 $2,388 4. “Anastasia” $5.1 2,496 4 (Fox) $38.0 $2,041 5. “The Jackal” $4.0 2,309 4 (Universal) $46.2 $1,735 6. “Midnight in the Garden ... “ $2.9 1,262 3 (Warner Bros.) $17.8 $2,335 7. “Mortal Kombat: Annihilation” $2.6 2,140 3 (New Line) $31.4 $1,219 8. “I Know What You Did $1.34 1,319 8 Last Summer (Sony/Columbia) $68.8 $1,021 9. “Bean” $1.31 1,797 8* (Gramercy) $43.7 $728 10. “Starship Troopers” $1.3 1,854 5 (Sony/TriStar) $53.0 $682 * “Good Will Hunting” $272,912 7 1 (Miramax) $272,912 $38,987

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* Fifth week in the U.S.; eighth week in Canada

SOURCE: Exhibitor Relations Co.