Date: 12th September 2000

Bleak Weekend At The Box Office


Like the September days, the box office dwindled down over the weekend, with not a single film earning more than $10 million. The top earner was Universal's The Watcher, which took in $9.1 million, the worst opening for a film since Eye of the Beholder opened in January with just $6 million. Another film debut, Nurse Betty, was second with $7.1 million. A third new entry, The Way of the Gun, from Artisan, earned only $2.2 million. Analysts noted that theaters may be facing an even greater challenge next week when attention is likely to be focused on the opening of the Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia. The top ten films over the weekend, according to final figures compiled by Exhibitor Relations (figures in parentheses represent total gross to date): 1. The Watcher, Universal, $9,062,295, (New); 2. Nurse Betty, USA, $7,145,950, (New); 3. Bring It On, Universal, $6,813,120, ($44,800,590); 4. The Cell, New Line, $3,654,515, ($51,341,527); 5. Space Cowboys, Warner Bros., $3,340,850, ($78,825,796); 6. What Lies Beneath, DreamWorks, $2,767,993, ($142,381,640); 7. The Art of War, Warner Bros., $2,476,366, ($25,028,790); 8. The Original Kings of Comedy, Paramount, $2,354,174, ($31,874,700); 9. The Way of The Gun, Artisan, $2,150,979, (New); 10. Highlander: Endgame, Dimension, $1,915,328, ($9,053,672).

Source: Studio Briefing