Weekend Box Office : ‘Batman Returns’ to Potent Box Office

Any way you slice it, Warner Bros.’ “Batman Returns” broke all film-industry box-office records with a gigantic opening-weekend gross of $47.7 million, according to final figures released Monday. The film is expected to have another rousing weekend, and the question some in the industry are posing now is: How fast will it reach $100 million? The first “Batman” in 1989 holds that record for doing it in only 11 days.

More than 7 million persons saw “Batman Returns,” accounting for about half the weekend moviegoing.

When combined with Warners’ other major summer hit “Lethal Weapon 3,” this summer’s moviegoing season has been given a huge kick into high gear. Compared to last summer, business is up about 14%, according to Daily Variety analyst A. D. Murphy.

Disney/Touchstone Pictures’ “Sister Act,” starring Whoopi Goldberg, continues to wear a halo with the public. It held on to second place for the fourth consecutive weekend and is now the summer’s third-highest grosser.

Paramount’s “Patriot Games” also maintained a good pace but was knocked out of first place by the Bat Blitz. Indeed, no other studio opened a film this weekend, out of fear being lost in the wings.

Weekend Gross/ Screens/ Weeks in Movie (Studio) Total (millions) Average Release 1. “Batman Returns” $47.7 2,644 1 (Warner Bros.) $47.7 $18,049 2. “Sister Act” $7.75 2,075 4 (Touchstone) $55.3 $3,739 3. “Patriot Games” $7.72 2,396 3 (Paramount) $49.1 $3,223 4. “Housesitter” $7 1,764 2 (Universal) $20.4 $3,980 5. “Lethal Weapon 3” $4.7 2,205 6 (Warner Bros.) $121.9 $2,134 6. “Far and Away” $3 1,746 5 (Universal) $42.3 $1,725 7. “Encino Man” $1.6 1,729 5 (Hollywood) $32.4 $935 8. “Alien3” $1.5 1,505 5 (Fox) $49.5 $1,018 9. “Class Act” $1.2 881 3 (Warner Bros.) $9 $1,389 10. “Basic Instinct” $951,125 875 14 (TriStar) $107.3 $1,087

SOURCE: Exhibitor Relations Co.