Weekend Box Office : ‘Hook’ Snags No. 1 Spot

Ticket sales rose slightly over the previous weekend as Christmas vacation kicked into gear. Steven Spielberg’s “Hook,” despite a lackluster $13.5-million opening a week ago, defied critics and Scrooges to lead the box office for the second weekend in a row and grab the spotlight from three major new releases. With $9.6 million on 2,224 screens, “Hook” has taken in a respectable $30.7 million.

Of the new releases, the remake of “Father of the Bride” starring Steve Martin did best, finishing No. 2 with $7 million. Oliver Stone’s “JFK,” perhaps the weekend’s most talked about film, finished strong at No. 6, despite fewer show times in theaters because of its three-hour running time. Warren Beatty’s “Bugsy” came in No. 7.

“Cape Fear,” finishing at No. 10 with $2 million, has grossed $53.6 million in six weeks, moving past “The Color of Money” to become director Martin Scorsese’s most successful box-office film.

* The financially strapped MGM/Pathe, which had high holiday hopes riding on the opening of “Rush,” received bad news over the weekend. The tale of drug-addicted cops, in limited release on eight screens, grossed $36,890 for a disappointing $4,611 average per screen.

Weekend Gross/ Screens/ Weeks in Movie (Studio) Total (millions) Average Release 1. “Hook” $9.6 2,224 2 (TriStar) $30.7 $4,334 2. “Father of the Bride” $7.03 1,561 1 (Buena Vista) $7.03 $4,504 3. “The Last Boy Scout” $5.61 1,823 2 (Warner Bros.) $16.3 $3,081 4. “Star Trek VI” $5.45 2,147 3 (Paramount) $38.3 $2,540 5. “JFK” $5.2 1,164 1 (Warner Bros.) $5.2 $4,488 6. “Beauty and the Beast” $4.8 1,925 6 (Buena Vista) $46 $2,526 7. “Bugsy” $4.6 1,219 2 (TriStar) $4.8 $3,783 8. “The Addams Family” $3.45 1,897 2 (Paramount) $78.3 $1,823 9. “My Girl” $2.7 1,851 4 (Columbia.) $34.7 $1,466 10. “Cape Fear” $2.16 1,388 6 (Universal) $53.6 $1,525 * “Rush” $36,890 8 1 (MGM/Pathe) $36,890 $4,611

SOURCE: Exhibitor Relations Co.