**************THIS JUST IN****************

FIGHT CLUB HITS #1!!!

DOUBLE JEOPARDY FALLS TO #2

Monday October 18, 1999

'Fight Club' Rises To No. 1 In Box Office Bout

By Steve Gorman

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The street-brawling drama ``Fight Club'' slugged its way past
``Double Jeopardy'' and ``The Story of Us'' to claim the title of No. 1 at the North American box office -- a day after initial studio estimates put the film in third place.

``Fight Club,'' starring Brad Pitt and Edward Norton as a couple of underground pugilists, grossed
$11 million during its first three days to score a knockout over its two closest movie contenders, according to final studio
figures issued Monday.

Sunday, box office estimates had ranked the 20th Century Fox drama at No. 3, behind the crime thriller ``Double Jeopardy''
and romantic comedy ``The Story of Us.''

As it turned out, ``Double Jeopardy,'' Paramount Pictures' surprise hit starring Ashley Judd and Tommy Lee Jones, slipped to
No. 2 with $10.2 million in ticket sales for the Oct. 15-17 weekend after clinching the top spot for three straight weeks. The
film's cumulative gross stands at $90.3 million.

Director Rob Reiner's ``The Story of Us,'' a Universal Pictures film starring superstars Bruce Willis and Michelle Pfeiffer as a
couple whose 15-year marriage is on the ropes, opened at No. 3 with nearly $9.7 million.

Box office figures, collected from the studios by Exhibitor Relations, are rarely so close that the rankings for the top three
films change from Sunday to Monday.

A Daily Variety poll of key critics in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Washington, D.C., found 19 reviewers liked
''Fight Club,'' 11 disliked it and 16 were mixed. Fellow newcomer ``The Story of Us'' found just three supporters, with 26
critics giving it the thumbs-down and 11 reviews mixed. ''Double Jeopardy'' was not a darling of the critics.

The remainder of the final top 10 rankings and box office data changed little from Sunday's estimates. Rounding out the top
five -- each down one spot from last weekend -- were the Gulf War black comedy ``Three Kings'' (Warner Bros.) at No. 4
with $7.3 million in its third round, followed by the suburban nightmare ``American Beauty'' (DreamWorks) with $6.6 million
in its fifth weekend.

Among the previous weekend's two newcomers, ``Random Hearts'' (Columbia), the romantic drama starring Harrison Ford
and Kristin Scott Thomas, tumbled four places to No. 6 with $5.7 million. That brought its 10-day total to a disappointing
$22.6 million.

``Superstar,'' Paramount's comedy spin-off from TV's ''Saturday Night Live'' about a Catholic schoolgirl with dreams of
stardom, fell two places to No. 7 with $5.6 million.

Bringing up the rear of the top 10 were ``The Sixth Sense'' (Hollywood) at No. 8 with $5.2 million in its 11th week, ``Blue
Streak'' (Columbia) at No. 9 with $3.8 million in its fifth week, and ``The Omega Code,'' an independently released film
starring Michael York, which opened at No. 10 with $2.4 million from just 304 theaters. 

The top movies in North America -- Oct. 15-17

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Following are the final data for the top 10 movies at the North American box office during the
Oct. 15-17 weekend, according to studio figures released Monday by Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc.

Film Three-day Cumulative

Title Gross Gross

1. Fight Club $11,035,485 $ 11,035,485

2. Double Jeopardy $10,231,222 $ 90,340,361

3. The Story of Us $ 9,673,080 $ 9,673,080

4. Three Kings $ 7,276,940 $ 43,681,624

5. American Beauty $ 6,608,144 $ 41,159,439

6. Random Hearts $ 5,651,420 $ 22,553,661

7. Superstar $ 5,616,615 $ 16,515,436

8. The Sixth Sense $ 5,160,171 $249,858,389

9. Blue Streak $ 3,825,556 $ 60,666,802 10. The Omega Code $ 2,354,362 $ 2,354,362

Reuters/Variety 

JOHN L.:  Amazing fans.  This is the first time in many a year that a movie has fought its way back to the top after the final results came in. Fight Club is far from being a hit, but getting the top spot has it keep some dignity.  Double J. falls to #2 but it has nothing to be ashamed of.  Story of Us dropped lower than its estimate and looks to be a major disappointment.  Marketers of FC should use this in their advertising. It just might help it increase its take next week.  I am keeping the original report in tact. My comments are still true for the most part.  The were written on Sunday before the final results came in.  This was a close race this week, so I knew it was possible that I  would have to update this today.  Wow, excitement in the box office report. This is just kickin'.  

Sunday October 17, 1999

Double Jeopardy wins box office race for fourth weekend

By Dean Goodman

LOS ANGELES, (Reuters) - In the battle for box office supremacy between the street brawlers of ``Fight Club'' and the warring couple in ``The Story of Us,'' North American moviegoers

apparently opted for neither.

Instead, Paramount Pictures' surprise Ashley Judd hit ''Double Jeopardy'' won a very tight contest to enjoy its fourth consecutive weekend at No. 1 with a three-day haul of $10.5 million, according to studio estimates issued Sunday.

``The Story of Us'' (Universal), a romantic comedy starring Michelle Pfeiffer and Bruce Willis as a couple whose 15-year marriage is falling apart, opened at No. 2 with $10.4 million for the

Friday-to-Sunday period. ``Fight Club'' (Fox), a grim drama in which Edward Norton and Brad

Pitt play underground pugilists, weighed in at $10.3 million in its first weekend.

The rankings could change when final data are released Monday, especially since Universal and Fox were each claiming that their movies were No. 1. Not surprisingly, older females dominated audiences for ``Story,'' while young males grabbed the ringside seats for ``Seven'' director David Fincher's ``Fight Club.''

If critics had their way, ``Fight Club'' would be No. 1. A Variety poll of key reviewers in New

York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Washington D.C. found that 19 critics liked ``Fight Club,'' 11

did not and 16 were mixed. Director Rob Reiner's ``The Story of Us'' found only three supporters, while 26 critics gave it the thumbs-down and 11 were mixed.

According to Exhibitor Relations, which collects the studios' data, the top 12 films this weekend

grossed a combined $71.8 million, down 10.7 percent from a week ago, and down 2.5 percent

from the year-ago period when the witch comedy ''Practical Magic'' was the top attraction.

The top 10 contained one other new release, ``The Omega Code,'' a religious movie starring

Michael York. Promoted heavily on Christian television and mostly ignored by the mainstream

media, the independently distributed film opened at No. 10 with $2.4 million from just 305 sites,

giving it the highest screen average in the top 10 with a strong $7,833.

Rounding out the top five -- each down one spot from last weekend -- were the Gulf War black

comedy ``Three Kings'' with $7.3 million in its third round and the suburban nightmare ''American

Beauty'' with $6.8 million in its fifth weekend. The $5,037 average for ``American Beauty'' was the second highest in the top 10.

Among last weekend's two newcomers, ``Random Hearts'' (Columbia) tumbled four places and

55 percent, to No. 6 with $5.8 million, bringing its 10-day total to a disappointing $22.7 million.

Novelist Warren Adler, on whose book the $60 million film was based, last week distanced

himself from the Harrison Ford-Kristin Scott Thomas romantic drama.

``Superstar,'' Paramount's comedy spin-off from TV's ''Saturday Night Live'' about a geeky

Catholic schoolgirl with dreams of stardom, fell two places and a respectable 36 percent to No. 7 with $5.7 million. Its total is $16.6 million.

``Double Jeopardy'' has $80.6 million after 24 days, ``Three Kings'' $43.7 million after 17 days

and ``American Beauty'' $41.4 million after 33 days (10 of them in wide release).

Bringing up the rear of the top 10 were ``The Sixth Sense'' (Hollywood) at No. 8 with $5.2 million

(73-day total $249.9 million); and ``Blue Streak'' (Columbia) at No. 9 with $3.8 million (31-day

total $60.6 million). Paramount Pictures is a unit of Viacom Inc (NYSE:VIA - news). Universal Pictures is a unit of Seagram Co. Ltd. Twentieth Century Fox is a unit of Fox Entertainment Group Inc (NYSE:FOX -news). Warner Bros. is a unit of Time Warner Inc (NYSE:TWX - news). DreamWorks SKG is privately held. Columbia Pictures is a unit of Sony Corp (NYSE:SNE - news). Hollywood

Pictures is a unit of Walt Disney Co. Sunday October 17 2:40 PM ET

The top 10 movies at the box office

LOS ANGELES, Oct 17 (Reuters) - Following are the top 10 movies at the North American box

office for the Oct. 15-17 weekend, according to studio estimates collected Sunday by Reuters.

Final data will be released Monday.

1 (1) Double Jeopardy .................. $10.5 million

2 (+) The Story of Us .................. $10.4 million

3 (+) Fight Club ......... ............. $10.3 million

4 (3) Three Kings ...................... $7.3 million

5 (4) American Beauty .................. $6.8 million

6 (2) Random Hearts .................... $5.8 million

7 (5) Superstar ........................ $5.7 million

8 (6) The Sixth Sense .................. $5.2 million

9 (7) Blue Streak ...................... $3.8 million

10 (+) The Omega Code ................... $2.4 million

NOTE: Last weekend's position in parenthesis. + - new release.

Double Jeopardy and Superstar are released by Paramount Pictures, a unit of Viacom Inc

(NYSE:VIA - news).

The Story of Us is released by Universal Pictures, a unit of Seagram Co. Ltd.

Fight Club is released by Twentieth Century Fox, a unit of Fox Entertainment Group Inc

(NYSE:FOX - news).

Three Kings is released by Warner Bros., a unit of Time Warner Inc (NYSE:TWX - news).

American Beauty is released by DreamWorks, which is privately held.

Random Hearts and Blue Streak are released by Columbia Pictures, a unit of Sony Corp

(NYSE:SNE - news).

The Sixth Sense is released by Hollywood Pictures, a unit of Walt Disney Co.

The Omega Code is an independently distributed religious movie.

JOHN L.: Another slow week at the box office with a virtual tie between Double Jeopardy and The Fight Club. Bruce Willis cannot 3peat with The Story of Us after two back to back $200 million hits. And Casper "I lost a Blockbuster award to Howard Stern" Van Diem returns to the top 10 after an absence of 2 years. There is a lot to cover this week, but judging by the totals, it looks like most people stayed inside playing their Sega Dreamcasts.

Ashley Judd has killed again. For the last 4 weeks, she has taken out Bruce Greenwood, Kevin Costner, George Clooney, Bruce Willis, and Brad Pitt. She's the Ted Bundy of the box office. Tommy Lee Jones is lucky to mooch off her success or he would have been taken out as well. The box office is very close this week, and when the final numbers are in, DJ may drop down to the #3 spot, but that does not mean anything. Guys like Pitt, Willis, and Costner are paid more than the total producion costs of Ashley J's first 3 films. Their movies should open above $20 million on their name alone regardless of the plot for the money they are paid. In the last 4 weeks, their movies can't crack $15 million in the opening weekend and they are the supposed box office draws. If DJ hits $100 million, expect Triple Jeopardy to be out this time next year. Judd has been named the star of the future many times in the past for doing movies no one saw or she was just a small part of. If she is smart, she will continue to make thriller type movies because they do well for her like Kiss the Girls did in 1998. She has officially graduated from the independent low budget scene and should now sell out to da man and make popcorn fluff. Hopefully she will wear that white dress again when the MTV and People's Choice movie awards come around next year. So far there have been 3 sleeper hits in 1999. The first was Blair Witch which was not a complete sleeper because of all of its pre opening buzz, but its success was still amazing. The Sixth Sense which became the most successful big budget movie as well as best staying power and movie most people wanted to see twice. Phantom Menace excluded. Double Jeopardy qualifies as a sleeper because no critic thought much of it and it had little buzz, just a simple preview that got the movies premise over in 30 seconds. Hollywood still has a lot to learn about how to make a hit movie. They still keep making the same mistakes while at the same time correcting them.

Our number 2 movie is a surprise to me. Story of Us has a simple plot of 2 people trying to keep their marriage together. That's it. Just a bunch of scenes of Willis smirking, and Pfeiffer thinking about all the fun she has counting David Kelly's money and laughing at Fisher Stevens' career. Rob Reiner is the director and it looks like he still cannot recapture the box office and critical magic of his previous flicks like A Few Good Men, Stand By Me, and Misery. His recent bombs of Ghosts of Mississippi, North, and now SOU, shows that he too has lost touch with the mainstream public. The public likes larger than life characters and stories. Reality is not a good thing to show in movies. Every successful movie has to have a hook. Slice of life means you get the waxy part of the cake in terms of grosses. Rita Wilson Hanks shows up as somebody who smiles a lot I guess. She could be a big star if they would give her a chance. Her husband has major stroke in Hollywood. He should put her in one of his grandiose, make me cry when I give my acceptance speech, I make $40 million a year I can't donate $10 million to build a damn war memorial, where is Joe Vs the Volcano 2, Meg Ryan is my Hepburn, Scolari who, Liv Tyler almost cost me my stroke, should have won for BIG, SPACE is where we should strive for movies. Also, Pfeiffer is box office poison. She has had 2 successful movies in her life, Batman Returns and Dangerous Minds which both were successful because and in spite of her. Batman worked because of its name and DM worked because of Coolio. Story of Us will make a bit more than Pfeiffer's flick with Clooney One Fine Day, but not much. Not a good week for Willis. His new movie opened poorly, Demi is bitching about the divorce, and Planet Hollywood filed for bankruptcy. The Seventh Sense is looking better and better everyday.

When are people going to realize that Brad Pitt is not a star. He has been in 3 movies that can be considered successful. Seven, Interview With a Vampire, and Thelma and Louise. Seven came out 4 years ago and since then, he has meant B.O. death. Devil's Own, Seven Years in Tibet, and Meet Joe Black show that people do not want to see him in movies especially if he puts on a weird voice or mannerism. Twelve Monkeys was well received by those who saw it, and BP got an Oscar nomination, but it too failed to make money. However, from the reactions I have seen from trailer audiences, FC looked like it might open well. And I harp on box office totals as a way to judge a movies worth a lot, but I am willing to give an actor and a movie a chance to always come back, but Pitt is still in the crapper. And this movie was a perfect example of not playing to any audience. Guys don't like Brad because all of their wives and girlfriends would love to rape him. This is known as the Mel Gibson Complex. Guys are jealous of an actor so they won't go see his movie unless it has them blowing stuff up. Mel has overcome this somewhat and is liked by both males and females, but Pitt still has problems with bringing in the male audience. The female fans of Pitt will not want to see the movie because of its premise of guys beating the snot out of each other to get in touch with their manhood. Women hate movies where guys fight like that (see Far and Away). For one thing, women are horny and like to please their man and receive pleasure. So, they realize that they have much of the power in the relationship giving them the rights to decide what they will do on any given day as a couple. However, Monday nights and to a certain extent Sunday afternoons are Man times. Guys like to watch sports (football especially) and to a large extent professional wrestling. Women have conceded to letting guys get their wrestling and football fixes on Mondays. They do not want to sit through that in a movie and Fight Club is full of bare knuckle fisticuffs that make girls turn their noses up faster than a Stone Cold Stunner or a "Honey get me some more beer, the guys are thirsty." When you combine these elements of negativity you get 3^rd place and barely $10 million your opening week. Ed Norton and Helena Bonham Carter don't help either. EN had his break out academy award nominating part with Primal Fear, but has failed to spark much interest. Playing a racist gang member and a lawyer who defends pornography does not help. I think he also goes or went with Courtney Love. He's batting a thousand. HBC is a Merchant Ivory staple who has only made one other mainstream movie which was Frankenstein. You cannot count on her to bring the butts to the theater. It was all up to Brad Pittiful. I have plans to check this movie out and give a full review. Hopefully it will still be in cineplexes by the time I get a chance.

In tenth place this week is a little movie that snuck up on me, Omega Code. I remember seeing snippets of its trailer on television, but when I saw that Casper Van Diem was in it, I laughed and then proceeded to zone out. Catherine Oxenburg has returned from her sabbatical since the 80s when she was on Dynasty as Amanda to disappear once again in this flick. Michael York is one of my favorite actors, and if there are 2 reasons to see the movie he is one of them. If you need a second reason to check out OC, Michael Ironside is the other one. He teams up with the friendly ghost for the second time in this flick, and if the audience is lucky our former "V" warriror is the villain. This movie is about that lovely movie plot device of the end of the world. Unfortunately for the producers of OC, Arnold S. has a movie coming out called End of Days that will get all of the mainstream press. What I can’t figure out is how this movie is getting the support of religious groups. It seems a little too violent for their liking to me. I hope OC liked its stay in the top 10, I don’t expect it to be here next week.

War, what is it good for? Not for George, Marky, and Ice in terms of future movie roles. Looks like American Beauty is going to hang around for a bit longer. Another case of child molester chic making money at the box office. Harrison Ford needs to stop thinking about Kristin Scott Thomas’ mouth and start thinking about earning his paycheck. If he had laid off the valium during filming, maybe people would have been more interested in his current exploits. Molly Shannon has a couple of other recurring SNL characters they should make movies into such as the "I love it I love it I love it lady," and the host of that dog show with Mr. Bojangles and a gay Will Ferrell. Gay Will Ferrell sounds redundant to me. Look on the bright side Bruce, Sixth Sense has grossed $249,900,000 to become your biggest hit to date. Blue Streak’s $60 million total should help in keeping Martin Lawrence from trying to kill himself again.

That’s concludes another box office report. Next week I believe is the world premiere of BATS. I cannot wait. That is the one I have been looking forward to all October. I don’t expect DJ to be the #1 film next week, but I have no idea what will be though. I think that Nick Cage Copola Bringing Out the Dead movie comes out this week or next. It will not do very well I am guessing. Cage’s wife Patricia costars in it with him and if box office history holds up, husband and wife teams do not mix. Tom and Nicole know that all too well. I said last week that Fight Club was not going to make more than $20 million. I was being way too generous. I overestimated the power of Brad Pitt in a dress (see Rolling Stone). I will not make that mistake again. Bye for now.

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