Masked ‘Man’ Fails to Sink ‘Titanic’

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.”

“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.