Date: 11th December 2000

Dragon Slays 'Em All


The biggest success story of the weekend may have been writ by Sony Pictures Classics' Ang Lee fable, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Debuting in New York and three cities in Canada, the film earned a sensational $686,657, or more than $42,000 per location. Fox Searchlight's Quills, which last week won the Best Film award from the National Board of Review, collected an estimated $164,000 in nine theaters, or an average of $18,184 per location. (By contrast, The Grinch averaged $5,800 per screen.)

The top ten films for the weekend, according to studio estimates compiled by Exhibitor Relations: 1. Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas, $18.5 million; 2. Vertical Limit, $16 million; 3. Proof of Life, $10.4 million; 4. Unbreakable, $7.5 million; 5. Dungeons & Dragons, $7 million; 6. 102 Dalmatians, $6.3 million; 7. Rugrats in Paris: The Movie, $4 million; 8. Meet the Parents, $3 million; 9. Charlie's Angels, $2.7 million; 10. Bounce, $2.6 million.

Source: Studio Briefing