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Masked ‘Man’ Fails to Sink ‘Titanic’

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In the end, Leonardo DiCaprio as “The Man in the Iron Mask”--even with help from the Three Musketeers--could not dethrone all-time box-office king “Titanic,” which also stars DiCaprio.

Going into the weekend, many believed the 23-year-old actor, the year’s hottest box-office attraction, might help “Mask” knock “Titanic” from its perch atop the weekly chart. It was not to be.

“Titanic,” a joint production of Paramount Pictures and 20th Century Fox, remained No. 1 for the 13th consecutive week, taking in $17.6 million, compared to $17.3 million for MGM/United Artists’ “The Man in the Iron Mask.”

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“Titanic” thus ties the 1982 Dustin Hoffman comedy “Tootsie” and the 1984 Eddie Murphy comedy “Beverly Hills Cop” for the most consecutive weeks atop the box-office chart.

MGM/UA had gone all-out in its marketing campaign for “Mask” and booked the film in 3,101 theaters.

On Friday night, “Mask” actually outdrew “Titanic,” pulling in $5.8 million, compared to $4.3 million. But on Saturday, “Titanic” came roaring back, grossing $8.2 million, compared to $6.9 million for “Mask.” On Sunday, “Titanic” edged out “Mask,” $5.1 million to $4.5 million.

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Weekend Box Office

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Three-day gross/ Screens/ Weeks in Movie (Studio) Total (millions) Average Release 1. “Titanic” $17.6 3,116 13 (Paramount/Fox) $471.4 $5,641 2. “The Man in the Iron Mask” $17.3 3,101 1 (MGM/UA) $17.3 $5,570 3. “U.S. Marshals” $11.4 2,817 2 (Warner Bros.) $32.9 $4,031 4. “Good Will Hunting” $4.8 1,899 15 (Miramax) $109.8 $2,551 5. “The Wedding Singer” $4.7 2,550 5 (New Line) $63.5 $1,830 6. “The Big Lebowski” $3.5 1,235 2 (Gramercy) $10.7 $2,832 7. “Twilight” $3.25 1,353 2 (Paramount) $10.6 $2,399 8. “Hush” $3.23 1,966 2 (Sony/TriStar) $10.4 $1,642 9. “As Good As It Gets” $3.1 1,710 12 (Sony/TriStar) $121.4 $1,784 10. “Dark City” $1.44 1,520 3 (New Line) $12.6 $949

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SOURCE: Exhibitor Relations Co.

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