Date: 29th August 2000

Universal Has A Lot To Cheer About


Teens headed back to school vicariously over the weekend, flocking to see the cheerleader comedy Bring It On from Universal and pouring an estimated $17.4 million into the box-office coffers.

Another new film, Warner's The Art of War, starring Wesley Snipes, landed in second place with $11.2 million. New Line's The Cell, which held the top spot last weekend, fell to third with about $9.6 million, a 45-percent drop.

However, Warner's Space Cowboys continued to draw an older crowd as it wound up in fourth place in its fourth weekend with $6.6 million to bring its gross to $63.8 million.

Another comedy targeting an older audience, Disney's The Crew, opened in seventh place with a disappointing $4.1 million. Meanwhile, The Original Kings of Comedy, which took second place last weekend, dropped to fifth with $6.1 million on only 875 screens, but nevertheless averaged nearly $7,000 per theater -- an average exceeded only by Bring It On.

After a monthlong downturn at the box office, the top 12 movies this weekend garnered an estimated $75.7 million , about equaling last year's figure.

The top ten films for the weekend, according to studio estimates compiled by Exhibitor Relations:

1. Bring It On, $17.4 million;
2. The Art of War, $11.2 million;
3. The Cell, $9.6 million;
4. Space Cowboys, $6.6 million;
5. The Original Kings of Comedy, $6.1 million;
6. What Lies Beneath, $4.5 million;
7 (tie). The Crew, $4.1 million;
7 (tie). The Replacements, $4.1 million;
9. Nutty Professor II: The Klumps, $3.3 million;
10. Autumn In New York, $3.2 million.

Source: Studio Briefing