Chicago Tribune from Chicago, Illinois • Page 146

Chicago Tribune, Friday, September 10, 1993 Section 7 I Friday Can fall films stand heat of a record summer? -ieriw enief yiosd eor "iHE MOST FUN ITE HAD AT A MOVIE ALL YEAR. Box office John Horn The summer's Top 10 -Dixie Whatley, ABC-TV, BOSTON HE FUN IS CONTAGIOUS. The top summer movies as tallied by Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc 1. "Jurassic Park," $316.6 million.

2. The Firm," $150 million. 3. "The Fugitive," $133.7 million. 4.

"Steeples in Seattle," $112.9 million. 5. "In the Una of Fire," $97.9 million. 6. "CWthanger," $82.5 million.

7. "Free Willy," $67.1 million. 8. "Dave," $63.2 million. 9.

"Rising Sun," $56.7 million. 10. "Dennis The Menace," $50.2 million. -Bruce Williamson, PLAYBOY Associated Press lthough it was an fill eniless summer of hit I films, the fall movie sea-" son doesn't look par- ticularly promising, and four new releases fizzled in their premieres during Labor Day weekend. Between Memorial and Labor Day, North American theaters grossed in excess of $2.2 billion, surpassing the 1989 summer record of $1.99 billion, Exhibitor Relations Co.

Inc. said Tuesday. This season was led by "Jurassic Park," which has grossed $316.6 million to date, and "The Firm," which has made $150 million. Moviegoers, spending more than $5 on the average ticket, have plunked down about $3.57 billion so far this year on admissions. That is equal to the record year pace set in 1989, when grosses totaled $5.2 billion.

If the 1993 season is to surpass 1989, however, the fall films will have to do particularly welL So far they haven't done well, and upcoming films also don't look strong. "I don't see any major movies between now and November and I've got several movies in September and October," admitted Tom Pollock, chairman of the MCA Motion Picture Group. Pollock predicted, however, that his release "Jurassic Park" as well as Warner "The Fugitive" and Paramount's "The Firm" should have a beneficial-effect on the rest of the year's releases. "When people go to the movies only to see highly hyped movies and enjoy what they see anyway, they tend to go again," Pollock said. He said the sheer number of fall films should i 'MM Mil.

I I-'- V' make for steady grosses, although only a handful of films will be profitable. Some of the fall's highest profile releases are exceptionally costly, particularly Sylvester Stallone and Wesley Snipes in "Demolition Man." The much-delayed Warner Bros, production ran up a tab in excess of $50 million. The one film that likely will continue to generate big returns in the fall is "The Fugitive," which was the nation's top film for the fifth consecutive weekend over Labor Day. Of the past weekend's new entries "Fortress," "Boxing Helena," "Calendar Girl" and "Kalifornia" only "Fortress" cracked the Top 10 with $4.04 million for sixth place. Its fortunes won't be bolstered by poor reviews.

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