Weekend Box Office : ‘Prophecy’ Has Strong Holiday Opening

This year’s biggest Labor Day weekend opener, “The Prophecy” with $7.5 million, fared better than the top opener a year ago, “Milk Money,” which took in $5.8 million. The top movie overall for the long weekend last September was Paramount’s “Forrest Gump,” at $12.2 million, compared to this year’s top movie, New Line Pictures’ “Mortal Kombat,” which earned $8.3 million.

An unexpected long-term success is Universal’s family film “Babe,” which after five weeks remains squarely in the Top 10, a rarity for a non-Disney family movie.

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Five-Day Gross/ Screens/ Weeks in Movie (Studio) Total (millions) Average Release 1. “Mortal Kombat” $8.3 2,630 3 (New Line) $55.1 $3,151 2. “Dangerous Minds” $7.9 1,594 4 (Buena Vista) $57.4 4,949 3. “The Prophecy” $7.5 1,663 1 (Miramax) $7.5 $4,516 4. “Desperado” $6.0 2,027 2 (Sony/Columbia) $17.1 $2,973 5. “A Walk in the Clouds” $5.5 1,755 4 (Fox) $38.6 $3,118 6. “Babe” $4.6 1,775 5 (Universal) $43.2 $2,570 7. “Something to Talk About” $3.8 1,727 5 (Warner Bros.) $45.4 $2,205 8. “The Usual Suspects” $3.7 506 3 (Gramercy) $5.7 $7,367 9. “Waterworld” $3.5 1,820 6 (Universal) $81.3 $1,910 10. “Apollo 13” $3.1 1,330 10 (Universal) $162.01 $2,300

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SOURCE: Exhibitor Relations Co.