The Indie Top 10 and the Other Top 5: 4.17.98 - 4.19.98

by Mark Rabinowitz

NOTE: The grosses for First Look's "Mrs. Dalloway" were not included in
the information indieWIRE received from EDI last week, but are included
at the end of this week's Indie Top 10.

Artisan's "Suicide Kings" landed atop the Indie Top 10 this week, giving
the destrib three films in the rankings, more than any other indie. The
film had respectable per screen averages, opening on 135 screens. First
Look's "Mrs. Dalloway" remains near the top of the leader board, gaining
7% over the previous weekend, with grosses steadily mounting, the pic
looks to top $3 mil. in the coming weeks. One newcomer, Trimark's
"Chinese Box" racked up impressive per sheet numbers, pulling in almost
$100,000 on 12 screens, averaging more than $8,000.

Among specialty division films, Sony Pictures Classics continues to
impress, posting a per screen average of over $10,000 on 31 screens for
a weekend take of over $315,000. Another new entry, Fine Line's doc
about Woody Allen, "Wild Man Blues" posted solid numbers on three
screens, averaging over $18,000 for a cume weekend gross of $54,458.

++ THE INDIE TOP 10 ++

SUICIDE KINGS (Artisan): $558,081 -- Total: $558,081

*Premiere -- 135 Screens -- $4,134 average per screen

MRS. DALLOWAY (First Look): $179,516 (+7%) -- Total: $2,455,061

Week #9 -- 90 Screens (+3) -- $1,995 average per screen

LOVE AND DEATH ON LONG ISLAND (LGF): $154,419 (-18%) -- Total:
$1,929,106

Week #7 -- 84 Screens (+5) -- $1,838 average per screen

CHINESE BOX (Trimark): $97,916 -- Total: $97,916

*Premiere -- 12 Screens -- $8,160 average per screen

CAUGHT UP (Artisan): $73,032 (+54%) -- Total: $6,665,254

Week #8 -- 204 Screens (+103) -- $358 average per screen

KURT AND COURTNEY (Roxie): $40,212 (+96%) -- Total: $189,447

Week #8 -- 8 Screens -- (+2) -- $5,027 average per screen

I THINK I DO (Strand): $39,108 (+16%) -- Total: $89,187

Week #2 -- 10 Screens (+5) -- $3,911 average per screen

FIREWORKS (Milestone): $21,564 (-19%) -- Total: $283,690

Week #5 -- 11 Screens (+2) -- $1,960average per screen

NIAGARA NIAGARA (Artisan): $14,735 (-58%) -- Total: $196,491

Week #5 -- 26 Screens (-7) -- $567 average per screen

POST COITUM (New Yorker): $13,242 (-44%) -- Total: $200,033

Week #6 -- 9 Screens (no change) -- $1,471 average per screen

CORRECTION: (4.10.98-4.12.98)

MRS. DALLOWAY (First Look): $167,772 (-35%) -- Total: $2,210,112

Week #8 -- 87 Screens (-2) -- $1,928 average per screen

++ THE OTHER TOP 5 ++

LOST IN SPACE (New Line): $7,451,911 (-44%) -- Total: $52,349,496

Week #3 -- 3,306 Screens (no change) -- $2,254 average per screen

THE PLAYERS CLUB (New Line): $3,589,903 (-39%) -- Total: $14,287,584

Week #2 -- 593 Screens (no change) -- $6,054 average per screen

GOOD WILL HUNTING (Miramax): $1,465,824 (-27%) -- Total: $131,555,851

Week #20 -- 1,069 Screens (-232) -- $1,371 average per screen

NIGHTWATCH (Miramax): $585,733 -- Total: $585,733

*Premiere -- 300 Screens -- $1,952 average per screen

THE WEDDING SINGER (New Line): $397,838 (-34%) -- Total: $74,662,893

Week #10 -- 407 Screens (-365) -- $977 average per screen

[All box office figures are provided by Entertainment Data, Inc.
www.entdata.com]

[EDITOR'S NOTE: The Indie Top 10 lists the top grossing EDI tracked
films distributed by companies not owned or affiliated with major
studios or entertainment companies. The Other Top 5 lists the top
grossing EDI tracked films distributed by companies other than the
primary major studios.]