Date: 12th December 2000

Forget Green Eggs; It's Green Legs That Count


Three new releases failed to arrest the streaking Grinch Who Stole Christmas, which again held the number-one spot at the box office as it earned $18.6 million to bring its four-week total to $196 million.

The Universal/Imagine Entertainment blockbuster continued to show strong legs, dropping only 30 percent from last weekend and appearing certain to compete strongly against new competition next weekend.

The only new release to offer up much of an effective challenge to the Grinch was Sony's action thriller Vertical Limit, which opened with $15.5 million. Two other new releases disappointed. Warner's Proof of Life, which opened on 2,705 screens -- more than any other film -- earned only $10.2 million, while New Line's Dungeons & Dragons could pull in no more than $7.2 million.

The top ten films over the weekend, according to final figures compiled by Exhibitor Relations (figures in parentheses represent total gross to date): 1. Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas, Universal, $18,646,520, ($195,646,175); 2. Vertical Limit, Sony, $15,507,845, (New); 3. Proof of Life, Warner Bros., $10,207,869, (New); 4. Unbreakable, Disney, $7,538,063, ($77,403,181); 5. Dungeons & Dragons, New Line, $7,237,422, (New); 6. 102 Dalmatians, Disney, $6,233,029, ($44,279,675); 7. Rugrats In Paris: The Movie, Paramount, $3,952,419, ($60,470,550); 8. Meet The Parents, Universal, $3,026,710, ($157,107,315); 9. Charlie's Angels, Sony, $2,626,076, ($119,250,039); 10. Bounce, Miramax, $2,592,226, ($34,119,117).

Source: Studio Briefing