‘Flubber’ Takes Holiday Bounce to Top

Some critics may have branded it a turkey, but “Flubber” proved to be a feast for Disney coffers as the Robin Williams remake of “The Absent Minded Professor” took in $35.8 million at the box office over the long Thanksgiving holiday. It was the fourth-highest Thanksgiving debut ever by a film, according to Exhibitor Relations Inc., a company that tracks box-office statistics.

Three of Williams’ recent films have had mixed results. “The Birdcage” from MGM/UA grossed $124.1 million domestically, while the Disney comedy “Jack” made a lackluster $58.6 million domestically. Meanwhile, the big-budget Warner Bros. release “Fathers’ Day” proved to be a box-office flop, grossing only $28.5 million in North America.

“Alien Resurrection,” 20th Century Fox’s fourth film starring Sigourney Weaver in the popular sci-fi series, took second place this weekend with $25.8 million in ticket sales. The previous two “Alien” films also opened well: “Alien 3” premiered at $23.1 million over the four-day Memorial Day holiday in 1992, and “Aliens” opened at $10.1 million on a normal weekend on July 18, 1986.

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Five-day gross/ Screens/ Weeks in Movie (Studio) Total (millions) Average Release 1. “Flubber” $35.9 2,641 1 (Disney) $35.9 $13,590 2. “Alien Resurrection” $25.8 2,415 1 (Fox) $25.8 $10,679 3. “Anastasia” $15.4 2,511 3 (Fox) $31.3 $6,121 4. “John Grisham’s Rainmaker” $14.5 2,341 2 (Paramount) $26.9 $6,205 5. “The Jackal” $10.5 2,235 3 (Universal) $40.6 $4,715 6.”Mortal Kombat Annihilation” $9.4 2,140 2 (New Line) $27.8 $4,405 7. “Midnight in the Garden ... “ $7.4 1,080 2 (Warner Bros.) $13.5 $6,840 8. “The Little Mermaid”* $5.1 1,929 3 (Disney) $24.0 $2,632 9. “Bean”** $4.1 1,833 7 (Gramercy) $42.0 $2,220 10. “Starship Troopers” $3.9 2,397 4 (Sony/TriStar) $51.0 $1,645

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*Reissue.

**Fourth week in the United States; seventh week in Canada

SOURCE: Exhibitor Relations Co.