Sunday October 31, 1999

''House on Haunted Hill'' tops Halloween box office

By Dean Goodman

LOS ANGELES, Oct 31 (Reuters) - ``House on Haunted Hill'' scared up record Halloween business in its first weekend at
the box office, according to studio estimates issued Sunday.

The Warner Bros. remake of the 1950s William Castle movie grossed about $15.1 million for the Friday-to-Sunday period,
neatly matching its $15 million production budget. The film revolves around four people who are offered $1 million each to
spend the night in a haunted mansion. It stars Australian Oscar-winner Geoffrey Rush and Danish actress Famke Janssen
(''Goldeneye'').

``House'' made almost as much as the next three films combined with box office receipts suffering their traditional seasonal
decline in the face of competition from Halloween festivities. Just $900,000 separated the fourth- to ninth-ranked movies.
Final data will be issued Monday.

Last week's champ, ``The Best Man'' (Universal) slipped to No. 2 with $6.5 million in its second weekend. Paramount's
''Double Jeopardy'' was also down a notch, to No. 3, with $5.4 million in its sixth weekend. DreamWorks' ``American
Beauty'' rose two places to No. 4 with $3.9 million in its seventh weekend.

According to Exhibitor Relations, which collects the studios' data, the top 12 films this weekend grossed a combined $54.6
million, down 14 percent from a week ago, but up 13 percent from the year-ago period when previous Halloween record
holder ``John Carpenter's Vampires'' opened at No. 1 with $9.1 million and ended its domestic run with just $20.3 million.

The top 10 contained one other new release, Miramax's fact- based ``Music of the Heart,'' starring Meryl Streep as a Harlem
violin instructor who teaches the instrument to inner-city kids. It opened at No. 5 with a pianissimo $3.7 million from 1,349
screens, giving it a per screen average of just $2,743.

Miramax senior vice-president David Kaminow said the opening was on target, and he was confident the film would benefit in
coming weeks from strong word of mouth. About two-thirds of the audience was female, and half the total was over 35 years
old. But children also made up a notable part of the audience, indicating it was playing as a family movie, Kaminow said.

``House on Haunted Hill'' pulled in the under-25 crowd, which was evenly split between males and females, said Dan
Fellman, president of distribution at Warner Bros. Its per screen average was a solid $5,572, the highest in the top 10.

Among last weekend's openers, ``The Best Man'' lost just 28 percent of its audience as its 10-day total rose to $18.1 million,
about double its production budget. Director Martin Scorsese's paramedic black comedy ``Bringing Out the Dead''
(Paramount), starring Nicolas Cage, fell 43 percent and four places to No. 6 with $3.5 million. Its 10-day total is $11.6
million.

Rounding out the top 10 were Fox's ``Fight Club'' down four places to No. 7 with $3.3 million (17-day total $27.7 million);
Hollywood Pictures' ``The Sixth Sense'' up two to No. 8 (87-day total $259.8 million); Universal's ``The Story of Us'' down
four to No. 9 with $3.0 million (17-day total $22.3 million); and WB's ``Three Kings'' up one to No. 10 with $2.5 million
(31-day total $53.7 million).

After 38 days in release, ``Double Jeopardy'' has earned $98.3 million, while ``American Beauty'' has $54.2 million after 47
days.

Warner Bros. is a unit of Time Warner Inc (NYSE:TWX - news). Universal Pictures is a unit of Seagram Co. Ltd.
Paramount Pictures is a unit of Viacom Inc (NYSE:VIA - news). DreamWorks SKG is privately held. Miramax Films and
Hollywood Pictures are units of Walt Disney Co. Twentieth Century Fox is a unit of Fox Entertainment Group Inc
(NYSE:FOX - news).

Reuters/Variety 

The top 10 movies at the box office

LOS ANGELES, Oct 31 (Reuters) - Following are the top 10 movies at the North American box office for the Oct. 29-31
weekend, according to studio estimates collected Sunday by Reuters. Final data will be released Monday.

1 (+) House on Haunted Hill ............ $15.1 million

2 (1) The Best Man ..................... $6.5 million

3 (2) Double Jeopardy .................. $5.4 million

4 (6) American Beauty .................. $3.9 million

5 (+) Music of the Heart ............... $3.7 million

6 (4) Bringing out the Dead ............ $3.5 million

7 (3) Fight Club ....................... $3.3 million

8(10) The Sixth Sense .................. $3.2 million

9 (5) The Story of Us .................. $3.0 million

10 (9) Three Kings ...................... $2.5 million

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

House on Haunted Hill and Three Kings are released by Warner Bros., a unit of Time Warner Inc (NYSE:TWX - news).

The Best Man and The Story of Us are released by Universal Pictures, a unit of Seagram Co. Ltd.

Double Jeopardy and Bringing out the Dead are released by Paramount Pictures, a unit of Viacom Inc (NYSE:VIA - news).

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

Music of the Heart is released by Miramax Films, and The Sixth Sense by Hollywood Pictures, both units of Walt Disney Co.

Fight Club is released by Twentieth Century Fox, a unit of Fox Entertainment Group Inc (NYSE:FOX - news). 

JOHN L.:  Relatively slow week at the box office.  Just 2 new movies made the top ten, and they did not light the fire of the public.  House on Haunted Hill had Halloween to help its money totals and Music of the Heart had Meryl Streep causing another studio to lose money with her presence.  Amazing how Wes Craven postponed finishing Scream 3 to complete MOTH.  Let's go through what happened this week. Not much to cover, but I'll try.

House on Haunted Hill came out big, but only earned half of what The Haunting did it's first weekend. But, Taye Diggs has the one two punch this week by having the #1 and #2 movie.  He and Bruce Willis have 2 of their flicks in the top ten right next to each other.  This year has had a lot of horror movies come out and some have been successful. This one should drop the typical 50% next week because modern horror movies suck.  Even the old ones are not that great. The original HOHH with Vincent Price is not that great a flick. It is famous for that walking skeleton that causes that woman to fall in the acid pool.  The payoff of the original was not that good.  This movie has a good preview, but it is too reminiscent of the Haunting which made that movie look fantastic, but turned out to be trash and is my nominee for worst movie of the year.  Famke Janssen is still trying to find a good follow up to her Xenia Onatopp role in Goldeneye.  Lately she has been doing these schlock horror movies like Deep Rising and The Faculty.  TF was pretty good for what it was, but DR was weak.  Maybe if she did a movie with Catherine Zeta-Jones she get get over with the fans.  Now that would be a good fight if Famke would do that leg crush thing to CZJ she tried to do to Pierce Brosnan.  Geoffrey Rush is having more success with this movie than he did this Summer with Mystery Men.  He seems to have a cross between Stephen Rea and F. Murray Abraham disease.  Rush is similar to Rea in their style of acting and look, plus they both broke out in a movie that became somewhat popular with critics and ones who saw it.  Rea for not recognizing a transvestie, and Rush for playing a looney pianist.  The FMA part comes in an Oscar winner not getting another role in similar quality as the one he won the gold statue for.  Poor Abraham won an academy award for Amadeus, was in Scarface, and All the Presidents Men.  Now he is in Muppets from Space, Innocent Man, and bad Star Trek movies.  GR did Shakespeare in Love last year to still keep him in "quality" work, but his last two movies are starting a trend of bad vibes.  Look out dude, you could be getting decapitated in Species 3 and lay right next to that other Oscarman, Ben Kingsley.  Happy Halloween guys. Maybe George Lucas can put you in the next Star Wars movie.

The number 5 movie this week is called Music of the Heart.  It is the true story of Roberta Guaspari, a violin teacher in the inner city who loses her funding and decides to kill all of the school board one by one by strangling them  with a single violin wire.  At least that's what I thought it was about when I heard Wes Craven was the director.  What the heck was this guy thinking?  Meryl Streep is back and believe it or not, she is using an American accent this time.  MS has a disease like Mr. Rush has, but more severe.  She is probably one of the most well known actresses in the history of cinema.  However, no one goes to see her movies.  This is also called Robert Deniro disease.  Streep has had her hits though like Kramer vs Kramer and Silkwood, but most don't do that well.  People seem to think they are not worthy to witness a Streep performance because she is the most hyped actress ever.  This movie has the heart warming feel that critics of violence in movies say they should make more of.  An uplifting classical music appreciation fest that shows how are teachers should be better appreciated. It's funny how a victim of violence critics would go Emily Litella on us and make a movie about "violins in society."  This movie should have done a bit better because of the Gloria Estafan/Boy Group title song which is climbing up the charts.  Angela Bassett is another one who has been nominated for an Oscar but still can't get consistently good roles. She plays the frustrated principal in this one.  Tip to Hollywood, stop making after school special movies.  People will not pay $7.00 to $9.00 to see them.  Oh, and Wes, stick with finishing the Scream trilogy. You are not ready to be taken seriously yet as a "serious" filmmaker.   If heart is in the title of your film, make sure it is a bleeding one with a hole in it.

REST OF THE TOP 10 IN 10

Best Man continues it's minor success by doubling it's production cost.  Taye Diggs is still da man I guess.  Ashley Judd is just $2 million away from getting her first starring role hit.  American Beauty is quickly becoming Annette Beatty's biggest hit to date.  Looks like Martin Scorcese will be bringing out his new movie. It looks dead to me.  Fight Club may make $30 million, but it is down for the count box office wise.  Sixth Sense is right under $260 million in its 13th week.  Story of Us came behind 6S and it is just in its 3rd week.  Three Kings is at $53 million and continues the box office misses career of George Clooney.

Not a great week at the box office.  Bone Collector is the top choice to get the #1 spot next week, but Angela Jolie is still Jon Voigts big lipped daugter and Denzel Washington is hoping to avoid another one of those Oscar diseases like the other people I have mentioned. He always does 2 types of movies. The action crime drama like Ricochet, and then the serious dramatic movie like He's Got Game.  Denzel returns later this year as a boxer accused of murder in The Hurricane.  BC will make a little money, but Hurricane is in for a fight as they say.  Other movies to look for are Being John Malkovich which sounds interesting, and The Bachelor which should finish of the career of  Chris "Pacino said hoo haa in my movie" O'Donnell.  Bye for now.

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