HOLLYWOOD -- Eddie Murphy, whose 'Beverly Hills Cop' was a breakaway hit two years ago, smashed into the box office top spot last week with his new movie, 'The Golden Child.'
Murphy, playing a Los Angeles social worker leading a mission in search of a mystical Tibetan spiritual leader -- a golden child -- is less profane and almost as funny as in his past films.
'The Golden Child' collected an impressive $11.5 million in its opening week at 1,667 theaters for a per-screen average of $6,928 to lead all other films last week.
Another new release, 'Three Amigos,' a vapid comedy starring Steve Martin, Chevy Chase and Martin Short decked out in black and silver bandito outfits trying to save a Mexican town from outlaws, was No. 2.
It grossed $5.9 million in its opening frame in 1,385 theaters, averaging $4,288 per screen.
The previous week's No. 1 film, 'Star Trek IV,' tumbled to third place in the weekly box-office derby, dropping 43 percent at the turnstiles. The fourth of the sci-fi space drama series beamed up $5 million for a three-week total of $46.5 million in 1,349 theaters.
Clint Eastwood's 'Heartbreak Ridge' war story grossed $4.7 million -- a 42 percent drop from the previous week -- to bring its two-week total to $15.7 million. It fell from the second spot to No. 4 last week.
'An American Tail,' the surprise hit of the Christmas season thus far, was No. 5 with a take of $2.6 million. The Steven Spielberg-backed animated cartoon about an immigrant Russian mouse has grossed $23.6 million in five weeks.
'Crocodile Dundee,' the fall's smash from Australia, passed the magic $100 million mark with a gross of $2.2 million for the week. Its total after a dozen weeks is $102.8 million. It was No. 6.
Opening less spectacularly than 'The Golden Child' and 'Three Amigos' -- but certainly a greater contender for Academy Awards -- was 'Crimes of the Heart' starring Sissy Spacek, Jessica Lange and Diane Keaton (all Oscar winners in the past).
'Crimes of the Heart' grossed $1.4 million in only 246 theaters for an impressive $5,703 per-screen average.
Save for the three newcomers -- 'The Golden Child,' 'Three Amigos' and 'Crimes of the Heart' -- all films in release suffered substantial drops in attendance, averaging more than 40 percent.
And just as it appeared 1986 would be a banner year, the disappointing pre-holiday grosses last week dropped considerably below the totals for the same period last year. All films last week collected $65.1 million compared to $69.2 million in 1985.
Overall, the annual box-office picture was brighter. So far in 1986 all films have grossed $3.4 billion, a tad above the 1985 total.
The top 10, last week's gross, total gross, weeks in release:
1. 'The Golden Child,' $11.5 million, 1 week.
2. 'Three Amigos,' $5.9 million, 1 week.
3. 'Star Trek IV,' $5 million, $46.5 million, 3 weeks.
4. 'Heartbreak Ridge,' $4.7 million, $15.7 million, 2 weeks.
5. 'An American Tail,' $2.6 million, $23.6 million, 5 weeks.
6. 'Crocodile Dundee,' $2.2 million, $102.8 million, 12 weeks.
7. 'Crimes of the Heart,' $1.4 million, 1 week.
8. 'Song of the South,' $1 million, $15.4 million, 5 weeks.
9. 'Peggy Sue Got Married,' $820,264, $37.7 million, 10 weeks.
10. 'The Color of Money,' $694,431, $42.7 million, 9 weeks.
