'Indecent' 1st in 3rd
MGM's "Benny & Joon" expanded to an OK result of $ 4 million, and the wide freshman releases of Orion's "The Dark Half" and Touchstone's "Indian Summer" registered mild debuts of $ 3.6 million and $ 3.3 million, respectively.
The offer audiences just can't refuse, "Indecent Proposal," continued to churn away with an estimated $ 10.2 million for weekend averages of $ 5,300 on 1 ,922 screens. It represented a 31% drop from the previous frame.
With $ 61.4 million in the bank, "Indecent" ranks fourth behind "Aladdin,""A Few Good Men" and "Groundhog Day" in the 1993 box office standings.
New Line's rap comedy-drama "Who's the Man?" surprised pundits with a strong $ 5 million debut to clinch second place. The oddball pairing of jive MTV jocks Ed Lover and Dr. Dre posted averages of $ 5,240 from 954 engagements.
New Line marketing honcho Mitch Goldman said exit polls indicate solid continued business.
MGM added 900 screens to "Benny & Joon" for a $ 4 million, third-place finish. It translated to a 21% box office boost and averages of $ 3,050 from 1, 310 love-is-blind dates. That brings its total to $ 8.2 million.
While the mood at MGM is ebullient, a rival studio marketer described the film's business as disappointing. "They had solid tracking for two weeks prior to opening and missed a real opportunity in waiting until the second weekend to open the picture wide," he said.
Entering the marketplace in fourth with about $ 3.6 million was Orion's 1,562 -print launch of "The Dark Half." The adaptation of the Stephen King chiller was expected to be a real shot in the arm for the flagging company. However, with $ 2,300 averages, no one is expecting light at the end of the tunnel.
Also new on view, Touchstone's "Indian Summer" was on board with $ 3.3 million. The ensemble about a failing summer camp received warm reviews and tepid results. It averaged $ 3,150 from 1,047 cabins but had almost a 30% Saturday boost compared with the 15%-20% rise for the other new entries.
Debuting in limited release, Miramax's "Map of the Human Heart" got a healthy report with $ 82,900 from six igloos. Vincent Ward's epic period romantic drama posted averages of $ 13,810.
Information on SGE's "How U Like Me Now" was spotty. But a sampling of eight screenings in the Los Angeles branch indicated a gross of $ 5,000 for a $ 625 average.
Fox's "The Sandlot" continued to hold well with a $ 3.5 million, fifth-place finish. The gritty, youthful boys-of-summer saga skidded 29% for earned averages of $ 1,980 from 1,763 outings. It's batted in $ 17.5 million to date.
Weekend business continued to be relatively flat with new entries maintaining rather than brightening the picture. Revenues dipped a modest 6% from the prior weekend and were down 2% from the comparable period of 1992.
Universal's "Cop & a Half" collared $ 2 million to rank seventh for the period. In 1,792 bookings, the pint-sized shamus averaged $ 1,120. Down 39% for the weekend, it has a cume of $ 20.5 million.
Warner Bros.' second weekend of "Boiling Point" barely bubbled with $ 1.8 million to finish eighth. The hard-boiled thriller had a precipitous 55% descent for $ 1,260 averages from 1,425 playdates. It has earned $ 6.9 million in 10 days.
Just behind in ninth, Buena Vista's "The Adventures of Huck Finn" was projecting $ 1.7 million. The twain ebbed 44% for the classic adaptation in 1, 636 river runs. Posting averages of $ 1,040, pic's cume is $ 18.9 million.
WB' expansion of "This Boy's Life" rounded out the top 10 with $ 1.4 million. The searing drama failed to flex any B.O. muscle with $ 1,810 averages on 773 screens. Its cume amounts to $ 1.7 million.
