Weekend Box Office : ‘Batman’ Clings to No. 1 Ranking

Leading by only a hair, “Batman Returns” held on to the top spot for the third week in a row, while suffering intense competition from the baseball comedy “A League of Their Own” and “Boomerang,” starring Eddie Murphy. For industry numbers-crunchers, it was nail-biting time, with the three movies finishing practically in a dead heat. “League,” however, did more business per screen than any of the other contenders. Of the Top 10 movies, the two Disney films, “Sister Act” and the re-released “Pinocchio,” showed the smallest drop in audience since last weekend.

With the Fourth of July falling on a Saturday, and date-night moviegoing yielding to barbecues and fireworks displays, attendance was down compared to the longer holiday weekend last year, which was also boosted by the opening of the mega-hit “Terminator 2.” No new blockbuster emerged this year with the draw of the Arnold Schwarzenegger sequel, but box-office receipts were up over last weekend on account of the two strong new releases.

Weekend Gross/ Screens/ Weeks in Movie (Studio) Total (millions) Average Release 1. “Batman Returns” $13.8 2,644 3 (Warner Bros.) $123.0 $5,228 2. “A League of Their Own” $13.7 1,782 1 (Columbia) $19.0 $7,710 3. “Boomerang” $13.6 2,127 1 (Paramount) $19.6 $6,413 4. “Sister Act” $6.8 2,070 6 (Touchstone) $78.6 $3,269 5. “Unlawful Entry” $6.5 1,530 2 (Fox) $21.5 $4,272 6. “Housesitter” $4.3 1,987 4 (Universal) $37.2 $2,140 7. “Patriot Games” $4.1 1,907 5 (Paramount) $65.1 $2,150 8. “Pinocchio” $3.0 1,936 2 (Buena Vista) $8.6 $1,576 9. “Lethal Weapon 3” $2.4 1,704 8 (Warner Bros.) $131.5 $1,437 10. “Far and Away” $1.6 1,432 7 (Universal) $49.3 $1,120

SOURCE: Exhibitor Relations Co.