Hanks, 'Traffic' Light Up Weekend Box Office

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Tom Hanks' deserted island drama ''Cast Away'' and the acclaimed drug saga ``Traffic'' -- two favorites for Oscar nominations -- were the stars at the North American weekend box office, according to studio estimates issued on Sunday.

``Cast Away'' logged its third consecutive weekend as the No. 1 movie with a weekend haul of $24.1 million for the Friday-to- Sunday period; ``Traffic'' rocketed 26 places to No. 3 in its first weekend of wide release with $14.9 million. After 17 days at theaters ``Cast Away,'' in which Hanks plays an air crash survivor stranded on an uninhabited South Pacific island for four years, has pulled in $143.6 million. The Robert Zemeckis-directed film is released domestically by Twentieth Century Fox, a unit of Rupert Murdoch's Fox Entertainment Group Inc. .

Director Steven Soderbergh's ``Traffic'' was the only newcomer in the top 10, after boosting its theater count to 1,510 from four. With the exception of 10th-ranked ``Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,'' which is playing at just 173 theaters, all the other movies in the top 10 were playing at between 2,000 and 3,000 theaters.

``Traffic,'' an ensemble drama, starring Michael Douglas, his wife Catherine Zeta-Jones and Benicio Del Toro, examines the social and financial effects of America's war against drugs. Released by USA Films, a unit of Barry Diller's USA Networks Inc., the movie has earned $15.5 million after 12 days.

Observers are betting that both ``Cast Away'' and ``Traffic'' will walk off with a clutch of Oscar nods, including best picture and director, when nominations are announced on Feb. 13. Other favored contenders include ``Erin Brockovich,'' also directed by Soderbergh, Ridley Scott's ``Gladiator'' and Ang Lee's ``Crouching Tiger.''

The Mel Gibson romantic comedy ``What Women Want'' held steady at No. 2 in its fourth weekend, with a three-day sum of $15.5 million. Its 24-day total stands at $137.8 million. The film is released by Paramount Pictures, a unit of Viacom Inc. .

Rounding out the top five were the Sandra Bullock comedy ''Miss Congeniality'' (Warner Bros.), which slipped one place to No. 4 with $13.8 million; and the Nicolas Cage romantic comedy- drama ``The Family Man'' (Universal), also down one, to No. 5 with $9.2 million. The films' respective totals are $66.2 million and $56.3 million, both after 17 days in release.

Warner Bros. is a unit of Time Warner Inc., and Universal Pictures is a unit of Vivendi Universal .

After a one-week absence, Lee's Mandarin-language martial arts romance ``Crouching Tiger'' returned to the top 10 with a $3.7 million gross, swapping places with director Billy Bob Thornton's 11th-ranked ``All the Pretty Horses,'' which pulled in $2.5 million.

``Crouching Tiger'' has earned $18.8 million after 31 days in release. The film is released by Sony Pictures Classics, a unit of Sony Corp. .

``Horses,'' a western romance starring Matt Damon and rising Spanish beauty Penelope Cruz, is shaping up as a box office disappointment for Walt Disney Co. -owned Miramax Films, with just $12.8 million after two weeks.

According to tracking firm Exhibitor Relations, the top 12 films grossed a combined $106.2 million, down 14 percent from the Friday-to-Sunday portion of last weekend's New Year holiday, but up 31 percent from the year-ago period, when talking mouse comedy ''Stuart Little'' was tops with $11.2 million.

The top movies in North America -- Jan. 5-7

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Following are the final data for the top 10 movies at the North American box office during the January 5-7 weekend, according to studio figures released Monday by Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc.

Film Three-day Cumulative

Title Gross Gross

1. Cast Away .......... $22,220,725

BOX OFFICE SO FAR: $41,702,072

2. What Women Want ..........$15,555,033

BOX OFFICE SO FAR: $137,897,386

3. Traffic .......... $15,517,549

BOX OFFICE SO FAR: $16,041,218

4. Miss Congeniality .......... $13,021,316

BOX OFFICE SO FAR: $65,376,566

5. The Family Man ..........$9,121,855

BOX OFFICE SO FAR: $56,252,235

6. The Emperor's New Groove .......... $7,462,207

BOX OFFICE SO FAR: $62,400,374

7. Vertical Limit .......... $5,010,353

BOX OFFICE SO FAR: $59,275,373

8. Dracula 2000 .......... $4,310,742

BOX OFFICE SO FAR: $28,136,273

9. Dude, Where's My Car?.......... $3,832,533

BOX OFFICE SO FAR: $41,385,958

10. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon .......... $3,408,397

BOX OFFICE SO FAR: $18,496,108

Reuters/Variety REUTERS

JOHN L.: This week's box office totals are pretty good for a bunch of movies that a lot of people don't really care a whole lot about. Family Man, Vertical Limit, Dracula 2000, and Dude, Where's My Car are still around because the better competition won't release their movies wide. For some reason, Castaway is on its way to outgrossing the Grinch even though everyone who I have talked to that has seen it says it is not all that great a movie to be getting all of this attention. Traffic is the only new movie this week and it opened pretty well, but could have done much better if the studio had the confidence to put it in about 500 more theaters. This movie is getting all sorts of critics awards and nominations that a wider release could have really helped it. This mid level release just makes it seem like a less important film to the general audience. Another short box office report this week, so let me get it over with so we can all go back to downloading porn.

Traffic is getting a lot of publicity as the front runner for best picture of 2000 when the Oscars are announced.  The director Steve Soderbergh has a chance of getting two Oscar Nominations as director for traffic and "Erin Brockovitch."  It is a year 2000 release but is not released wide until 2001 and that drives me nuts.  The movie has a lot of actors that people are familiar with, but those same performers have much difficulty getting in successful films. First off, let's look at the plot.  It is a multi level story about the affects of the drug trade on law enforcement, politicians, and the drug dealers themselves.  Benicio del Toro plays the cop trying to take down the drug lords. Michael Douglas is the drug czar who while trying to halt the drugs entering U.S. can't stop the illegal substances entering his daughter.  Catherine Zeta-Jones-Douglas is the pregnant wife a drug lord who is trying to get her criminal spouse out of jail.  Somehow all of these stories come together as a coherent story. CZJD somehow fell in love with Michael Douglas during the filming of this film and they had a kid and became married in one of the higher profile weddings of the year.  Critics love movies like this where there are multiple stories interweaved together and it's based on some realistic ideals.  Soderbergh is one of those directors who  likes to mix scenes up and have several stories going on at once or to have quirky dialogue that movie buffs love to quote.  They try to be the thinking man's Quentin Tarentino.   Soderbergh's "Erin Brockovitch" had Julia Roberts and the "they're called boobs Ed" line and a clearly defined story.  This movie does not have a catchphrase yet so it might have more trouble making that $100 million mark.  

REST OF THE TOP 10 IN 10:

1.    Castaway is on track to possibly make more money than Forrest Gump.

2.    The volleyball, Wilson, was sold for $18,000 on EBAy.

3.    Mel Gibson is the number one box office star of the year with three movies making over $100 million in 6 months.

4.    Sandra Bullock is back with her first hit movie in years.

5.    Nicholas Cage is still looking for a solid hit and Family Man is not quite it.

6.    Much like Bullock's flick, the Emperor's New Groove is surviving quite well above expectations.

7.    Vertical Limit was predicted to be the top film of the holiday season according to the Wall Street Journal, and it amazes me that people still look to that newspaper for financial advice.

8.    Dracula 2000 is like spoiled milk, out of date.

9.    I can't wait for Dude, Where's My Scooter starring the youngest brother on Malcolm in the Middle and Kirsten Dunst's brother from "Bring it On."

10.    Crouching Tiger has become the most successful Mandarin language film ever released in the United States.

Next week I hope to have reviews of Double Take and the finally arriving around here, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon.  And if I am feeling especially frisky, I might sneak into Traffic.  Hopefully more than one movie will debut in the top 10 next week so I don't have to half ass these things anymore.  Bye for now.