Weekend Box Office : ‘Poetic’ Finds Its Place in Line

It was a big first weekend for John Singleton’s “Poetic Justice,” starring pop singer Janet Jackson in her first movie role. The Columbia film topped all others, collecting $11.7 million at the box office. But it was an inauspicious debut for two other movies--Paramount’s “Coneheads,” which opened in sixth place, and Disney/Touchstone’s sequel “Another Stakeout,” which debuted in ninth.

Overall, summer box-office grosses are running 22% ahead of last year. But even more significant, they are 11% higher than at this same point in the summer of 1989--the most lucrative season ever.

Weekend Gross/ Screens/ Weeks in Movie (Studio) Total (millions) Average Release 1.”Poetic Justice” $11.7 1,273 1 (Columbia) $11.7 $9,213 2.”In the Line of Fire” $11.2 2,129 3 (Columbia) $54.1 $5,267 3.”The Firm” $10 2,393 4 (Paramount) $112.9 $4,179 4.”Free Willy” $8.6 1,937 2 (Warner Bros.) $22.6 $4,463 5.”Jurassic Park” $8.4 2,352 7 (Universal) $271 $3,580 6.”Coneheads” $7.1 1,978 1 (Paramount) $7.1 $3,590 7.”Sleepless in Seattle” $5.8 1,615 5 (TriStar) $81.7 $3,563 8.”Hocus Pocus” $5.5 1,472 2 (Walt Disney) $18.7 $3,757 9.”Another Stakeout” $5.4 1,185 1 (Touchstone) $5.4 $4,572 10.”Rookie of the Year” $4.5 1,544 3 (20th Century Fox) $33.5 $2,930

SOURCE: Exhibitor Relations Co.