Weekend Box Office : A Full Film Plate for Thanksgiving

All the trimmings are in place for Hollywood’s Thanksgiving holiday weekend, which will see the arrival of two anticipated hits: “Mrs. Doubtfire,” starring Robin Williams, and “A Perfect World,” starring Kevin Costner and directed by Clint Eastwood. All that, plus “Addams Family Values” too. The sequel to the 1991 “The Addams Family,” which opened Friday, did not have the punch of the original ($24.2 million in 1991, compared to this past weekend’s $14.1 million), but it looks like a sturdy and popular entry, nevertheless.

Two specialty dramas rolled to exceptional business in the tidal wave of commercial fare: “Remains of the Day” with Emma Thompson and Anthony Hopkins, did $2.7 million, and “The Piano,” with Holly Hunter, Harvey Keitel and Sam Neill, pulled in $1.3 million on only 99 screens.

Overall box-office gross was off the pace of the comparable weekend a year ago, when “Home Alone 2” opened to the tune of $31.1 million.

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Weekend Gross/ Screens/ Weeks in Movie (Studio) Total (millions) Average Release 1. “Addams Family Values” $14.1 2,577 1 (Paramount) $14.1 $5,478 2. “The Three Musketeers” $8 2,098 2 (Walt Disney) $21.5 $3,821 3. “Carlito’s Way” $5.9 1,634 2 (Universal) $17.9 $3,615 4. “My Life” $5.3 1,290 2 (Columbia) $12.4 $4,120 5. “Man’s Best Friend” $3.9 1,220 1 (New Line) $3.9 $3,165 6. “Nightmare Before Christmas” $3.3 1,601 6 (Touchstone) $38.9 $2,050 7. “Remains of the Day” $2.7 517 3 (Columbia) $7.4 $5,283 8. “Cool Runnings” $2.4 1,525 8 (Walt Disney) $51.5 $1,612 9. “Beverly Hillbillies” $2 1,642 6 (20th Century Fox) $36.9 $1,209 10. “The Piano” $1.5 99 2 (Miramax) $1.8 $15,175

SOURCE: Exhibitor Relations Co.