Weekend Box Office : ‘Under Siege’ Opens in No. 2 Spot

Of last week’s new entries, “Under Siege 2” opened well, though not nearly as well as the original. In a field packed with family fare, Paramount’s “The Indian in the Cupboard” turned in a respectable showing. After a barrage of free publicity and mixed reviews, “Nine Months,” starring Hugh Grant, came in at No. 3.

“The publicity increased awareness but not necessarily interest,” says Bob Harper, Fox’s president of marketing. “The film attracted the audience we expected--young women and their dates, to a lesser degree. Given the per-screen average, exhibitors are clamoring for prints. We’ll be adding more theaters next week.”

Weekend Gross/ Screens/ Weeks in Movie (Studio) Total (millions) Average Release 1. Apollo 13 $15.6 2,302 3 (Universal) $90.9 $6,790 2. Under Siege 2 $12.6 2,150 1 (Warner Bros.) $12.6 $5,872 3. Nine Months $12.5 1,458 1 (Fox) $16.3 $8,589 4. Species $10.1 2,310 2 (MGM) $34.5 $4,352 5. Pocahontas $8.1 2,757 5 (Walt Disney) $106.3 $2,929 6. The Indian in the Cupboard $7.7 1,723 1 (Paramount) $7.7 $4,478 7. First Knight $6.6 2,161 2 (Columbia) $22.2 $3,055 8. Batman Forever $5.3 2,487 5 (Warner Bros.) $164.6 $2,125 9. Mighty Morphin Power Rangers $2.8 2,039 3 (Fox) $30.9 $1,369 10. Judge Dredd $2.4 1,805 3 (Universal) $29.2 1,314

SOURCE: Exhibitor Relations Co.