WEEKEND BOX OFFICE

Despite the surprising debuts of “Ishtar” and “The Gate” (see Page 1), the holdovers scored impressive numbers at the nation’s movie houses over the weekend. Univeral’s “Secret of My Success” in its fifth week was a close third to the two newcomers, with $3.9 million last weekend for a total of $43.9 million. Tri-Star’s “Blind Date” continued to seduce lively action at the cinemas, scoring $1.8 million (for a cumulative total of $35.3 million), while “Lethal Weapon,” from Warner Bros., picked off $1.4 million (total: $57.1 million). Also, New World’s “Creepshow 2” dug up another $1.2 million (total: $8 million). Among the independents, Island’s “River’s Edge”--though causing shouting matches in the theaters--had another impressive week at only four screens, ringing up $18,759 per screen.

Figures courtesy of Exhibitor Relations Co.