The Ottawa Citizen from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada • 38

CIO The Ottawa Citizen, Wednesday, July 10, 1996 Entertainment Independence Pay blows away box-office records "It plays like a rock concert. There 's clapping and cheering throughout. People are coming back because they couldn 't hear things the first time." JEFFREY GODSICK 20th Century Fox vice-president By Janet Weeks Los Angeles Daily News LOS ANGELES 20th Century Fox's Independence Day continued to blast box-office records Monday when grosses hit an estimated $100 million U.S. after seven days In theatres the fastest climb to nine digits in Hollywood history The record is the fourth to fall to the sci-fi disaster flick since it set a new pre-opening-day high of $11.1 million (in U.S. box office alone) on July 2.

Other Independence Day watermarks include highest five-day opening ($84.9 million), biggest opening for a Fox film and best Fourth of July holiday ceived mixed critical reviews, would reach $100 million by Monday "What's going on is a combination of marketing, subject matter and said Krier. "And the fact that Fox started promotions so early" But Godsick credits the success of the film to spectacular special-effects combined with a simple, can't-miss theme: good vs. evil. "We have a universal bad guy that everybody can appreciate," he said. "All of the petty problems of the world become so small when there are (alien) ships 15 miles long over the rooftops.

"That is part of the appeal of the movie." The Fourth of July record previously was held by Apollo 13, which grossed $38.5 million U.S. over five days last summer. ID4 (as the movie is tagged), a sci-fi adventure about aliens with a penchant for destruction, is also credited with pushing total ticket sales for all movies to new heights over the long holiday weekend in the States. Combined box-office totals for the five-day weekend soared to $190 million $30 million more than the $158.6 million record set last November when Toy Story opened on U.S. Thanksgiving Day "It's been a great weekend.

Extraordinary A wild ride," said Jeffrey God- things the first time," As of Monday morning. ID4's total ticket sales were $96.1 million, according to John Krier, president of Exhibitor Relations, an independent box-office tracking service. He said the movie, which stars Jeff Goldblum and Will Smith and has re sick, senior vice-president of publicity and promotions for Fox. "We knew from the test screenings that the reaction from the film was unbelievable," Godsick said. "It plays like a rock concert.

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(G) PHENOMENON (G) IT 1UV UUVJIIU11U1 nitViUVl Ul UVl til UIV PHENOMENON (PG)' THE ROCK (AA) Wed-Thu 10:30 TWISTER (PG) Mon-Tue Wed-Thu (PG) Mon-Tue PHANTOM (PG) Mon-Tue 2:20 HARRIET THE SPY (F) Wed-Thu HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME (PG) ERASER (AA) MIWIIV Ul UIV Ulllifcl JV 1114 1 Ull i til 828-2672 3090 Calling Ave GATES OPEN AT 7:00 PAt. STRIPTEASE (AA)VCABIE GUY INDEPENDENCE DAY (AA)VBROKEN ARROW 50 Rideau Slree! 234-3712 521-2017 McCarthy Rd. GATES OPEN AT 1:00 P.M. HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME (PG)' THE ROCK (AA)' ERASER (AA)'Tue-Wed-Thu Mon PHENOMENON (PG)'DD1E FRASEfl lAAI'TOISTFR lifjigia Itherockiaai'spyharc DErTALsQUNDj in selected theatres NOW PLAYING! Check CINEPLEX ODEON C1NEMAGUIDE FAMOUS PLAYERS LISTINGS for locations showtimes NO PASSES ACCEPTED Audiences don't want stars changing roles LOS ANGELES (AP) In thoroughbred racing, it's called "horses for courses." In Hollywood, it's 'known as smart casting. Among the top lessons of the 1996 movie season is that audiences accept big stars only in the narrowest range of roles.

When performers stray even slightly afield like a sprinter running in a distance race they usually finish out of the money The bigger the star, the less willing moviegoers are to forgive playing against type. Eddie Murphy's The Nutty Professor and Jim Carrey's The Cable Guy offer two of the most telling examples of this phenomenon. Once box-office poison in quasi-serious parts, Murphy reverted to flat-out comedy and enjoyed a spectacular opening weekend. Carrey made the opposite turnabout, moving from dumb and dumber farces to a dark comic drama and the Toronto native's followers largely stayed away At the same time, Hollywood's top female stars have struggled to find success in a role against type. Among the victims: Sharon Stone, an audience magnet in sexually charged thrillers, is batting .000 with the prison drama Last Dance and the mostly sexless murder mystery Diabolique.

Julia Roberts, popular in contemporary romances, bombed in the period melodrama Mary Reilly. Sandra Bullock, well-liked in girl-next-door roles like Speed and While You Were Sleeping, disappeared in Two if by Sea, where she played half of a quarrelsome criminal couple. Demi Moore's Striptease so far has proven more popular than her recent underachievers The Scarlet Letter, The Juror and Now and Then. The movie opened with the highest receipts of any Moore-led film. Tests ahead Still to come are significant tests for Bullock, who stars in the upcoming John Grisham movie, A Time to Kill, and Roberts in Michael Collins, due in August.

When Murphy first was cast in The Nutty Professor, the comedian was on a bender of bombs. The former Saturday Night Live player became a Hollywood star thanks to broad comedies such as Beverly Hills Cop, Coming to America and Trading Places. But rather than stick to comedy, Murphy tried to "grow" as an actor only to see his audience shrink. Murphy's Harlem Nights, Boomerang and The Distinguished Gentleman all fizzled quickly and, just as The Nutty Professor went into production, Murphy's Vampire in Brooklyn came and went bloodlessly The nervous Nutty Professor's producers even approached Carrey to co-star in the film to add more ticket-buying punch, but Carrey who now draws $20 million a flick declined. Hollywood executives predicted The Nutty Professor would barely gross $12 million in its debut weekend.

Instead, the movie collected $25.4 million U.S. Murphy's second-best opening ever. The movie showcased exactly what Murphy delivered back in the '80s: occasionally crude gags and his versatility as different characters. "It's been so long since I just did something that was really really funny," Murphy said at the film's premiere. Ell On your Case! Purchasi Movit Tickets up to 7 Days in Advance Call thiatki ton ostailsI HHIfliPHI'H'r MISSION IMPOSSIBLE (FRENCH) (G) DAILY 3:10 9:40 ERASER (FRENCH) (16) DAILY 12:45 7:20 STEALING BEAUTY (AA) (NO PASSES) DAILY 1:40 4:05 7:05 9:40 NUTTY PROFESSOR (AA) (NO PASSES) DAILY 2:00 4:1 5 6:45 9:10 STRIPTEASE (AA) (NO PASSES) I STRIPTEASE (16) (NO PASSES) DAILY 1:15 3:50 7:30 10:10 INDEPENDENCE DAY (FRENCH) (G) (NO PASSES) I DAILY 12:30 3:30 6:40 9:35 I INDEPENDENCE DAY (G) (NO PASSES) DAILY 1:00 4:00 7:00 10:0 TWISTER (EN FRANCAIS) (G) DAILY 3:00 6:50 9:15 FLIPPER (FRENCH) (G) DAILY 1:10 STRIPTEASE (FRENCH) (16) (NO PASSES) DAILY 1:45 4:15 7:15 9:45 NUTTY PROFESSOR (G) (NO PASSES) DAILY 1:25 3:40 7:10 9:10 HUNCHBACK (G) DAILY 2:05 4:10 6:30 8:30 NUTTY PROFESSOR (FRENCH) (G) (NO PASSES) DAILY 1 :30 3:55 6:55 9:30 JANE EYRE (PG) DAILY 2:10 4:35 7:15 9:45 1 CABLEGUY (PG) 1 DAILY 2:20 4:45 7:25 9:50 TWISTER (PG) I DAILY 1:50 4:25 6:50 9:20 I FLIRTING WITH DISASTER (AA) I DAILY 2:30 4:55 7:30 9:55 I NO 7:30 SHOW MON.

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