Weekend Box Office : ‘Fiction’ Outdraws ‘The Specialist’

Miramax Films’ “Pulp Fiction” came in first place at the box office over the weekend in a controversial head-to-head race against “The Specialist,” the Warner Bros. action film starring Sylvester Stallone and Sharon Stone. The heated contest between powerhouse studio Warner Bros. and Disney-owned Miramax intensified this weekend when Miramax officials suddenly revised their estimated box-office take from $8.6 million to $9.3 million, claiming it had undercounted the number of screens on which the film was playing. Warners had also initially upped its estimate from $8.9 million to $9.3 million, but on Monday officially reported a figure of about $9 million.

Weekend Gross/ Screens/ Weeks in Movie (Studio) Total (millions) Average Release 1. “Pulp Fiction” $9.3 1,338 1 (Miramax) $9.3 $6,960 2. “The Specialist” $9 2,522 2 (Warner Bros.) $28.7 $3,558 3. “Wes Craven’s New Nightmare” $6.7 1,850 1 (New Line) $6.7 $3,604 4. “The River Wild” $5.2 2,153 3 (Universal) $27.7 $2,430 5. “Little Giants” $4.8 2,022 1 (Warner Bros.) $4.8 $2,363 6. “Only You” $4.1 1,600 2 (TriStar) $11.6 $2,572 7. “Forrest Gump” $3.2 2,070 15 (Paramount) $279.7 $1,581 8. “Exit to Eden” $3 1,670 1 (Savoy) $3 $1,804 9. “The Shawshank Redemption” $2.4 944 4 (Columbia) $7.2 $2,545 10. “Quiz Show” $2.1 822 5 (Hollywood) $15.7 $2,614

SOURCE: Exhibitor Relations Co.