Studios Take Mid-Summer Breather

Aided by a mid-summer lull in major studio releases, Warners’ two big guns controlled the box office for the third weekend in a row. “Lethal Weapon 2” brought down $13 million on 1,830 screens, down 24% from last week. “Batman,” still playing on 2,201 screens, grossed $11.2 million. The dark knight is nearing the $200-million mark with a current total gross of $187.5 million. The box-office chase will heat up again Friday when Disney unleashes Tom Hanks and a 180-pound dog in the comedy “Turner and Hooch.” In its second week of release, Columbia’s “When Harry Met Sally . . .” expanded from 41 to 775 screens, earning $8.8 million for the weekend high per-screen average of $11,415.

* Hemdale’s “Shag, the Movie” introduced South Carolina shag dancing, circa 1960, to a 1989 audience. Despite favorable reviews, the independent film and its ensemble cast of young performers grossed just $2 million on 850 screens--an average of $2,387 per screen.

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE

Weekend Gross/ Screens/ Weeks Movie (Studio) Total (millions) Average in Release 1.”Lethal Weapon 2” $13 1,830 3 (Warner Bros.) $71.6 $7,116 2. “Batman” $11.2 2,201 5 (Warner Bros.) $187.5 $5,072 3.”When Harry Met Sally . . .” $8.8 775 2 (Columbia) $12.1 $11,415 4.”Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” $6.4 1,498 4 (Disney) $87 $4,294 5.”Licence to Kill” $5.1 1,587 2 (MGM/UA) $18.1 $3,214 *”Shag, the Movie” $2 850 1 (Hemdale) $2 $2,387

SOURCE: Exhibitor Relations Co.