By Carl DiOrio

HOLLYWOOD (Variety) - New Line's controversial healthcare drama "John Q." took the moviegoing public hostage over the long Presidents Day weekend with a frame-record $24.1 million in estimated box office receipts.

Paramount's Britney Spears road movie "Crossroads" bowed at No. 2 with an estimated $17 million, and Disney cartoon "Return to Never Land" debuted at No. 3 with $16.1 million.

MGM's Bruce Willis starrer "Hart's War" opened at No. 7 with $9 million, and the Fox Searchlight cop comedy "Super Troopers" unspooled at No. 9 to arrest $7.3 million.

Two sophomore-session players were Nos. 4 and 5 on the frame, as Universal's kid comedy "Big Fat Liar" fell 25% to gross $11.9 million, and Warner Bros.' Arnold Schwarzenegger starrer "Collateral Damage" tumbled 43% to $9.9 million. (Percentage changes are four days vs. three days.)

The modest "Hart's War" performance follows by one week the sour opening for Lion's "Rollerball." The action remake fell 56% to an estimated $4.6 million in its second weekend, with a $15.4 million total through 11 days.

Several best-picture Oscar nominees marked big box office bounces in the busy frame -- the first weekend since the contenders were unveiled Tuesday.

The four-day period marked a Presidents Day holiday weekend record, even though several studios cited disappointment with Sunday tallies amid marketplace competition from Winter Olympics (news - web sites) telecasts.

Industrywide, the roughly $161 million in total grosses was 10% above last year's then-record mark, according to data from box office tracker ACNielsen EDI. Year-to-date, 2002 is roughly flat with the same period of last year at $1.11 billion.

"John Q." has been skewered by critics, but the studio said 92% of patrons rated the Denzel Washington starrer "excellent" or "very good" in exit polling. Half of its patrons were African-American, with audiences 60% female.

"We're thrilled," New Line distribution president David Tuckerman said. "I think it's partially the storyline and partially (the appeal of) Denzel."

The yarn, which cost at least $50 million to film, involves a father's efforts to get a heart transplant for his young boy. The performance topped the previous frame-best opening of $21.9 million, set by "The Wedding Singer" in 1998.

For "Crossroads," an incredible 85% of patrons were female, with more than 80% under age 25, Paramount distribution president Wayne Lewellen said.

The picture, produced for an estimated $12 million and heavily promoted over Paramount's corporate cousin MTV, performed "on the high end of what we expected," Lewellen said.

"Never Land" exceeded fondest Mouse House hopes, helped by broad family appeal, Disney distribution president Chuck Viane said. The "Peter Pan" spinoff cost an estimated $20 million to produce.

"Hart's War," which co-starred Colin Farrell ("Tigerland"), was the weekend's only disappointing opener, as Willis' star appeal never overcame the marketing challenge of gritty prisoner-of-war subject matter. However, MGM sold off a portion of the picture's reported $70 million budget through sales of some foreign rights.

Fox Searchlight acquired "Super Troopers" at the Sundance Film festival for about $3 million, so the weekend performance "exceeded our goal," distribution president Steve Gilula said.

Universal's best picture nominee "A Beautiful Mind" was sixth at the weekend with $9.7 million in estimated four-day receipts. Its performance featured a 29% Friday-through-Sunday improvement vs. the same period of the previous frame.

Sony's "Black Hawk Down," which garnered several nominations but not a best picture mention, slipped 22% in landing eighth with $7.4 million.

New Line's best picture nominee "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" was out of the top 10 but still rang up $6 million over the long weekend, including a 67% three-day uptick.

Miramax's "In the Bedroom," another best picture nominee, added 265 theaters for a total 1,002, as the family drama tucked away $3.2 million over four days.

USA Films' Robert Altman-directed "Gosford Park," yet another best picture hopeful, added one theater at 837 and grossed $2.9 million.

Twentieth Century Fox's quirky musical "Moulin Rouge" previously completed a $57.1 million domestic run and thus was unable to exploit its best picture nomination at theaters. But studio executives cited big spikes in homevideo/DVD sales and rentals.

Lions Gate's "Monster's Ball" -- which drew nominations for original screenplay and star Halle Berry -- added 131 theaters for a total 472 and grossed an estimated $3.3 million. The studio was encouraged by a solid per-venue average of $7,000 one week before the film's scheduled expansion to 600 locations.

Miramax's Iris Murdoch biopic "Iris" -- which drew acting nominations for Judi Dench, Jim Broadbent and Kate Winslet -- returned over the weekend to gross $390,000 from 31 engagements, an impressive $12,580 per playdate. The picture previously saw a small Academy-consideration run.

The studio's Danish-language "Italian for Beginners" broadened seven theaters to 22 and grossed $220,000, a fluent $10,000 per venue.

In a limited bow, Sony Pictures Classics' "Last Orders" grossed an estimated $100,416 from seven L.A. and Gotham engagements, or a hearty average of $14,345 per playdate.

Next weekend features two wide openers, Universal's Kevin Costner starrer "Dragonfly" and Warners' horror picture "The Queen of the Damned."

Reuters/Variety

The top movies in North America -- February 15-18

Tue Feb 19, 6:58 PM ET

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Following are the final data for the top 10 movies at the North American box office during the February 15-18 U.S. Presidents Day holiday weekend, according to studio figures released Tuesday by Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc.

Film Four-day Cumulative

Title Gross Gross

1. John Q. .......... $23,612,171

BOX OFFICE SO FAR: $23,612,171

2. Crossroads .......... $17,014,226

BOX OFFICE SO FAR:$17,014,226

3. Return to Never Land .......... $15,623,464

BOX OFFICE SO FAR: $15,623,464

4. Big Fat Liar .......... $11,428,335

BOX OFFICE SO FAR: $24,919,665

5. Collateral Damage .......... $9,615,436

BOX OFFICE SO FAR: $29,083,350

6. A Beautiful Mind .......... $9,426,085

BOX OFFICE SO FAR: $125,695,006

7. Hart's War .......... $8,907,413

BOX OFFICE SO FAR: $8,907,413

8. Black Hawk Down .......... $7,251,711

BOX OFFICE SO FAR: $96,463,507

9. Super Troopers .......... $7,149,203

BOX OFFICE SO FAR: $7,149,203

10. Snow Dogs .......... $6,704,229

BOX OFFICE SO FAR: $68,115,878

Reuters/Variety

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