‘Michael’ Over ‘Maguire,’ by a Wing

John Travolta’s angelic comedic “Michael” edged out Tom Cruise’s “Jerry Maguire” to retain the No. 1 position at the box office. Wes Craven’s latest fright fest, “Scream,” continues to build momentum, coming in third with an impressive $10 million. All in all, the box office was up from the comparative weekend last year.

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Weekend Gross/ Screens/ Movie (Studio) Total (millions) Average 1. “Michael” $12.1 2,181 (New Line) $52.8 $5,569 2. “Jerry Maguire” 12.0 2,531 (TriStar) $83.0 $4,753 3. “Scream” $10.0 1,737 (Miramax) $39.1 $5,766 4. “101 Dalmatians” $7.3 2,702 (Walt Disney) $121.8 $2,717 5. “One Fine Day” $6.2 1,968 (Fox) $32.2 $3,160 6. “Beavis and Butt-head Do America” $5.8 2,417 (Paramount) $54.1 $2,381 7. “Ghosts of Mississippi” $5.0 1,268 (Sony) $5.8 $3,956 8. “The Preacher’s Wife” $5.0 2,001 (Touchstone) $38.7 $2,461 9. “Mars Attacks!” $3.4 1,901 (Warner Bros. ) $33.8 $1,806 10. “My Fellow Americans” $3.3 1,865 (Warner Bros.) $18.0 $1,786 * “Evita” $1.1 22 (Hollywood) $2.2 $48,394

Weeks in Movie (Studio) Release 1. “Michael” 2 (New Line) 2. “Jerry Maguire” 4 (TriStar) 3. “Scream” 3 (Miramax) 4. “101 Dalmatians” 6 (Walt Disney) 5. “One Fine Day” 3 (Fox) 6. “Beavis and Butt-head Do America” 3 (Paramount) 7. “Ghosts of Mississippi” 3 (Sony) 8. “The Preacher’s Wife” 4 (Touchstone) 9. “Mars Attacks!” 4 (Warner Bros. ) 10. “My Fellow Americans” 3 (Warner Bros.) * “Evita” 2 (Hollywood)

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* In limited release, the money keeps rolling in for “Evita,” which made $1.1 million on just 22 screens. It goes into wider release on Friday.

SOURCE: Exhibitor Relations Co.