Weekend Box Office : Moviegoers Rush to Form ‘Congo’ Line

It may not be the critics’ favorite, but “Congo” grossed nearly $25 million on its opening weekend, the biggest movie debut since “Interview With the Vampire” late last year. Whether moviegoers were drawn to the film because of the story’s name-brand author, Michael Crichton; the fact that the film is unlike any other thriller out there, or just Paramount’s marketing savvy, the film had the fifth-biggest opening in Paramount history behind the last two Indiana Jones movies, the second “Beverly Hills Cop” action comedy and 1993’s thriller “The Firm.”

Weekend Gross/ Screens/ Weeks in Movie (Studio) Total (millions) Average Release 1. “Congo” $24.6 2,649 1 (Paramount) $24.6 $9,303 2. “Casper” $10.9 2,756 3 (Universal) $55 $3,965 3. “Bridges of Madison County” $9.3 1,982 2 (Warner Bros.) $25.1 $4,714 4. “Die Hard With a Vengeance” $6.6 2,579 4 (Fox) $72 $2,567 5. “Braveheart” $5.5 2,035 3 (Paramount) $34.4 $2,697 6. “Crimson Tide” $5.1 2,148 5 (Hollywood/Disney) $70.6 $2,379 7. “Forget Paris” $2.5 1,609 4 (Castle Rock/Columbia) $24.2 $1,570 8. “While You Were Sleeping” $2.4 1,446 8 (Hollywood/Disney) $65.5 $1,652 9. “Johnny Mnemonic” $1.6 1,662 3 (TriStar) $15.3 $948 10. “Mad Love” $1.2 1,356 3 (Touchstone/Disney) $12.9 $906

SOURCE: Exhibitor Relations Co.