HOLLYWOOD, July 7 -- Columbia Pictures' 'Men in Black' seems to be the great white hope of a mildly disappointing summer box office. 'Men in Black,' with Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith as official guardians of aliens living on Earth, took in more than $51 million for the Friday-Sunday Independence Day weekend at 3,020 U.S. theaters. In its first six days it has grossed a whopping $84.1 million, just $6.6 million less than 'Batman and Robin' has earned in three weeks. Paramount thriller 'Face/Off' was second with $16 million at 2,637 theaters for a two-week take of $51.5 million. Disney's 'Hercules' added $12.2 million to its till at 2,884 theaters for third place and $50 million after three weeks. TriStar's 'My Best Friend's Wedding' came in fourth with $10.8 million at 2,233 theaters for $69.2 million in three weeks. Warner Bros.' 'Batman and Robin' picked up $8 million at 2,942 screens in its third weekend to reach $90.7 million. Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau were no match for Smith and Jones. Their 20th Century Fox comedy, 'Out to Sea,' took in about $5.9 million at 1,736 screens in its opening weekend. Disney's 'Con Air' picked up another $3.8 million at 1,902 screens to top $85 million after five weeks. Universal's 'The Lost World: Jurassic Park' consumed another $2.6 million at 1,908 theaters. Its total gross after seven weeks has topped $218.3 million, climbing to 17th on the roster of highest grossers at the U.S. box office.
Warner attempted to trade on the 'Men in Black' momentum by mimicking its newspaper campaign in ads for 'Wild America,' but the nature movie pulled in a disappointing $1.8 million at 1,812 theaters in its first weekend. Fox's 'Speed 2: Cruise Control' appears to be heading for the horizon. It grossed $1.5 million at 1,617 theaters in its fourth weekend for a new total of $41.1 million. ---
Copyright 1997 by United Press International. All rights reserved.
