Darling dogs, devilish De Vii and a massive Disney merchandising blitz. Everybody bit.
A deserving smash. Tom Cruise is so good he can afford to let Cuba Gooding Jr. steal several scenes.
John Travolta overcomes director Nora Ephron’s schmaltz. And Ted Turner closed Turner Pictures!
Gross and grossing. Expect an annual treat for what’s left of the teenage-boy audience.
Dismemberment that didn’t cost an arm and a leg. A funny, sexy, scary sendup.
Rob Reiner’s drama about civil-rights leader Medgar Evers’s murder. Mixed reviews, weak box office.
Miramax is releasing the film excruciatingly slowly, but “Patient” is picking up steam. The inevitable Oscar nominations will no doubt help.
Milos Forman’s paean to porn is doing fabulously in limited release. Another candidate for Best Picture.
Madonna can now carry a tune and a movie. Early ticket sales are terrific: the film has made that $1.2 million on just 22 screens.
May cause, cavities. Penny Marshall’s sticky-sweet film didn’t seduce whites–nor nearly enough blacks.
One fine mess. Sour and condescending–and Michelle Pfeiffer should know better. Fox rushed it out for the crowded holiday season, thinking it had a hit on its hands.
Warners has overwhelmed the AARP audience with one too many Jack (grumpy old man) Lemmon flicks.
A soggy “Terms of Endearment” sequel. Not much Jack Nicholson, no Debra Winger, no thanks.
Director Tim Burton with unlimited studio funds and no adult supervision. It should have been brilliant, but it’s bad enough to make Ed Wood proud.
Don’t take the tunnel. Universal turned down “Michael” and put all its chips on Sylvester Stallone. Now the aging muscleman has a $20 million price tag and no buyers.
Fox cut it down to 70 minutes, and it still jangles all the way. Arnold’s career is looking awfully ’80s these days. He’s hoping his turn as Mr. Freeze in “Batman 4” will firm his bloated price.
WEEKS COST* GROSS+ MOVIE OPEN (IN MILLIONS) 101 5 $55 $114.5 Dalmatians Jerry 3 $64 $70.9 Maguire Michael 1.5 $45 $40.6 Beavis and 2 $11.7 $48.4 Butt-head Scream 2 $14 $29.1 Ghosts of 2 $54 $0.8 Mississippi The English 6 $33 $25.3 Patient The People 1.5 $35 $1.2 vs. Larry Flynt Evita 1.5 $65 $1.2 The Preacher’s 3 $70 $33.7 Wife One Fine Day 1.5 $48 $26.0 My Fellow 2 $45 $14.7 Americans The Evening Star 1.5 $26 $7.9 Mars Attacks! 3 $84 $30.4 Daylight 4 $85 $27.3 Jingle All 6 $80 $56.0 the Way *Marketing typically adds $10 to $35 million. +As of Thursday, Jan 2, 1997.
