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In retrospect, Warner Bros. wasn't being paranoid when it postponed Conspiracy Theory for two weeks, thereby avoiding a head-to-head confrontation with Air Force One, which has earned $110.6 million in three weeks. Despite the presumably bankable presences of both Mel Gibson and Julia Roberts, Conspiracy Theory barely eked out a first-place finish. Compared with the surprising $21.7 million debut of Roberts' My Best Friend's Wedding last June -- not to mention the whopping $34.2 million bow of Gibson's Ransom last November -- Conspiracy Theory's $19.3 million opening was nothing to brag about. Sony, on the other hand, has plenty of reason to feel cocky; with Air Force One, My Best Friend's Wedding, and Men In Black already notched in its belt this summer, the studio's 1997 ticket sales may reach $1 billion by Labor Day.
NO. OF WEEKEND WEEKS GROSS WEEKEND SCREENS PER-SCREEN IN TO TOP 20 GROSS* [**] AVERAGE RELEASE DATE*
1 CONSPIRACY THEORY Warner Bros. $19.3 2,806 $6,883 1 $19.3 2 AIR FORCE ONE Columbia $17.8 2,981 $5,980 3 $110.6 3 SPAWN New Line $8.9 2,604 $3,437 2 $37.7 4 GEORGE OF THE JUNGLE Walt Disney $6.3 2,616 $2,414 4 $75.9 5 MEN IN BLACK Columbia $5.7 2,653 $2,131 6 $218.0 6 PICTURE PERFECT 20th Century Fox $5.0 1,727 $2,898 2 $17.5 7 CONTACT Warner Bros. $4.5 2,016 $2,222 5 $83.4 8 HOW TO BE A PLAYER Gramercy $4.2 751 $5,601 1 $5.7 9 AIR BUD Buena Vista $3.5 1,729 $2,000 2 $11.4 10 NOTHING TO LOSE Touchstone $2.8 1,470 $1,936 4 $37.3 11 MY BEST FRIEND'S WEDDING TriStar $2.2 1,462 $1,510 8 $113.1 12 FACE/OFF Paramount $2.1 1,542 $1,370 7 $105.7 13 GOOD BURGER Paramount $1.9 1,893 $1,005 3 $18.1 14 THE LOST WORLD: JURASSIC PARK Universal $1.1 830 $1,270 12 $225.1 15 FREE WILLY 3: THE RESCUE Warner Bros. $1.0 1,258 $789 1 $1.0 16 HERCULES Walt Disney $1.0 1,057 $936 8 $88.8 17 187 Warner Bros. $0.8 1,102 $753 2 $4.8 18 MRS. BROWN Miramax $0.6 95 $6,348 3 $1.9 19 SHALL WE DANCE? Miramax $0.5 105 $5,063 5 $2.8 20 OUT TO SEA 20th Century Fox $0.4 592 $752 6 $25.9
SOURCE: EXHIBITOR RELATIONS CO. INC. *WEEKEND OF AUG. 8-AUG.10 WEEKEND GROSS-TO-DATE FIGURES IN MILLIONS [**]INCLUDES SOME MULTISCREEN THEATERS AND PRINTS SHIPPED AS WELL AS INDIVIDUAL SCREENS
