WEEKEND BOX OFFICE : ‘Rain Man’ Takes Holiday Derby

United Artists’ “Rain Man” has broken out of a comedy-packed holiday race to dominate the box office. The poignant story of a young wheeler-dealer (Tom Cruise) who discovers that he has an autistic brother (Dustin Hoffman) grossed $14.4 million at 1,254 theaters over the four-day weekend, an average of $11,448 per screen. Not bad, especially when compared to the results of the three-day New Year’s weekend last year, when the Disney blockbuster “Three Men and a Baby” grossed $13.3 million. Meanwhile, two popular holiday comedies--Universal’s “Twins” and Paramount’s “Naked Gun”--continue strong showings.

* Orion’s “Mississippi Burning,” playing at only nine theaters, continues to hold strong, grossing $301,908, an average of $33,545 per screen. Since its release, the film has grossed $1.2 million.

Weekend Gross/ Screens/ Weeks Movie (Studio) Total (millions) Average in Release 1. “Rain Man” $14.4 1,254 3 (United Artists) $42.5 $11,448 2. “Twins” $12.0 1,624 4 (Universal) $55.5 $7,420 3. “Naked Gun” $7.9 1,969 5 (Paramount) $47.9 $4,035 4. “Oliver & Company” $7.4 1,503 7 (Disney) $40.2 $4,926 5. “Working Girl” $7.3 1,060 2 (Fox) $16.7 $6,930 * “Mississippi Burning” $.302 9 4 Orion $1.2 $33,545