Saving its best opening weekend box-office performance for last, ”Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country” took in $18.2 million last weekend-giving the intergalactic series its best opening ever.
The film outperformed the Trekkie debut tally of $17.4 million held by 1989`s ”Star Trek V: The Final Frontier.” The Dec. 6 take of $7.2 million set a single-day opening mark for the series as well.
Continuing its strong performance despite a 57 percent drop was ”The Addams Family,” which fell to the second-place slot after two weeks at No. 1. The macabre comedy earned $8.6 million, bringing its total to $67 million.
The coming-of-age drama ”My Girl” fell 46 percent and took third place, earning $6.7 million for a total of $26 million.
Falling 51 percent, the animated musical fairy tale ”Beauty and the Beast” also continued its strong performance in fourth place, earning $6 million. To date the film has grossed $34 million.
Disney scored on Saturday with its national sneak of ”Father of the Bride” at 1,118 screens that then invited audiences to stay for a bonus screening of ”Beauty and the Beast.”
Falling 48 percent to fifth place was Martin Scorsese`s thriller ”Cape Fear,” which scared up $4.8 million, bringing its total to $46 million.
Sixth place saw the Bette Midler vehicle ”For the Boys” fall 43 percent, earning a very disappointing $2.5 million. The film has earned only $10 million to date, making the big-budget musical drama the first big casualty of the box-office holiday wars.
Seventh place saw ”An American Tail: Fievel Goes West,” another disappointment, drop 57 percent, earning $1.6 million for a total gross of $10.5 million.
”Curly Sue,” in eighth place, earned $819,107. The John Hughes film has grossed $30 million so far.
In ninth place, ”The People Under the Stairs” collected $635,910. The Wes Craven film has grossed $21 million.
Rounding out The top 10 was ”All I Want for Christmas,” which saw revenues of $576,926. The hurriedly made feature has grossed $13 million.
In limited release, Universal Pictures` ”At Play in the Fields of the Lord” opened to lackluster business, drawing $118,162 on 11 screens.
Miramax`s ”Kafka,” directed by Steven Soderbergh and on two screens, earned $40,814 for a $20,407 average. The film, which opened Dec. 4, has earned $57,564.
Prestige`s ”Young Soul Rebels” on six screens earned $30,989 for $5,165 per.
Miramax`s ”The Double Life of Veronique,” on one screen, earned $17,811, bringing its total to $73,363.
Falling 48 percent, Warner Bros.` ”Meeting Venus” starring Glenn Close earned $39,178 on five screens for $7,863 per and a total gross of $328,625.
The following are the Top 10 movies for the weekend of Dec. 8, their distributors, weekend gross and total gross:
1. ”Star Trek VI,” Paramount, $18.2 million, $18.2 million.
2. ”The Addams Family,” Paramount, $8.6 million, $67 million.
3. ”My Girl,” Columbia, $6.7 million, $26 million.
4. ”Beauty and the Beast,” Disney, $6 million, $34 million.
5. ”Cape Fear,” Universal, $4.8 million, $46 million.
6. ”For the Boys,” Fox, $2.5 million, $10 million.
7. ”American Tail 2,” Universal, $1.6 million, $10.5 million.
8. ”Curly Sue,” Warner Bros., $0.8 million, $30 million.
9. ”People Under the Stairs,” Universal, $0.6 million, $21 million.
10. ”All I Want for Christmas,” Paramount, $0.6 million, $13 million.
