WEEKEND BOX OFFICE : ‘Marked’ Leaves Mark on No. 1 Spot

Action star Steven Seagal again stood his ground at the box office, as “Marked for Death” claimed the No. 1 spot for the third consecutive week with ticket sales of $5 million. The World War II drama “Memphis Belle” took second place, with receipts of $4.2 million. Third place went to “Quigley Down Under,” starring Tom Selleck as a sharpshooter in 1860’s Australia. It earned $3.8 million. The weekend also saw the debuts of two limited releases: On 99 screens, Universal’s “White Palace” grossed just over $1 million, for a per-screen average of $10,896. Warner Bros.’ “Reversal of Fortune” earned $176,985 on seven screens, for an impressive $25,284 average. Both films go wider on Friday.

* After two weeks of successful limited release, Tri-Star’s “Avalon” widened to 630 screens and earned $2.8 million for the No. 7 spot. That’s a $4,465 per-screen average.

Movie Weekend Screens/ Weeks in Total (Studio) Gross Average Release Gross 1. “Marked for Death” $5.0 1,899 3 $28.9 (20th Century Fox) Million $2,685 Million 2. “Memphis Belle” $4.2 1,368 2 $11.0 (WarnerBros.) Million $3,127 Million 3. “Quigley Down Under” $3.8 996 1 $3.8 (MGM/UA) Million $3,869 Million 4. “Ghost” $3.5 1766 15 $172.2 (Paramount) Million $2,013 Million 5. “Fantasia” $2.9 481 3 $15.1 (Buena Vista) Million $6,038 Million * “Avalon” $2.8 630 3 $3.4 (Tri-Star) Million $4,465 Million

SOURCES: Exhibitor Relations Co.