WEEKEND BOX OFFICE : ‘Dances,’ ‘Lambs’ Lose Ground

Orion Pictures’ powerhouse movies, “Dances With Wolves” and “Silence of the Lambs,” finally fell off the weekly list of top-five grossing films, after months of dominating the national box-office reports and giving the financially-strapped company a shot in the arm. During the weekend, the films were surpassed by new entries that performed slowly, even for this soft moviegoing season. Sylvester Stallone’s comedy, “Oscar,” topped the list, but it was a rocky start with a low per-screen average that doesn’t portend well.

* The restored, 70-millimeter version of 1960’s “Spartacus” entered the arena with a gladiator-like performance of $95,000 at four theaters in Los Angeles, New York, Washington and Toronto. It moves to 34 more screens in major cities on Friday.

Weekend Gross/ Screens/ Weeks in Movie (Studio) Total (millions) Average Release 1. “Oscar” $5.9 1,388 1 (Touchstone) $5.9 $3,668 2. “A Kiss Before Dying” $4.3 1,523 1 (Universal) $4.3 $2,855 3. “Toy Soldiers” $4.2 1,350 1 (Tri-Star) $4.2 $3,098 4. “Out for Justice” $4.0 2,004 3 (Warner Bros.) $27.5 $2,001 5. “Mortal Thoughts” $3.2 1190 2 (Columbia) $11.0 $2,709 * “Spartacus” $92,162 4 1 (Universal) $92,162 $23,041

SOURCE: Exhibitor Relations Co.