HOLLYWOOD, Nov. 27 -- The nationwide opening of the computer- animated comedy 'A Bug's Life' has dominated the holiday box office with an estimated $12.3 million at 2,631 theaters. Studio sources say the result gave Disney's much-anticipated release the second-biggest total ever for a Wednesday-Thursday Thanksgiving opening, trailing only the $15.2 million debut of 'Back To The Future Part II' in 1989. 'A Bug's Life,' a comedy that follows the adventures of a colony of ants battling a gang of grasshoppers, is the second collaboration between Disney and Steven Jobs' Pixar animation following their surprise success with 1995's 'Toy Story.' Analysts believe 'A Bug's Life' has the potential to match the $192 million domestic gross that 'Toy Story' took in by the end of its run. Finishing a distant second was Disney's thriller, 'Enemy Of The State,' with $7.5 million at 2,435 theaters. That gives the Will Smith vehicle $31.1 million after its first week in theaters. Paramount's 'Rugrats' followed closely in third with $6.3 million at 2,873 theaters for the two days, giving the animated comedy more than $40 million in its first week. Disney's surprise hit, 'The Waterboy,' was a solid fourth with $5.8 million at 2,702 screens. That gave the Adam Sandler comedy more than $108 million in its first three weeks of release. Preliminary estimates showed Universal's 'Meet Joe Black' and Sony's 'I Still Know What You Did Last Summer' coming in at fifth and sixth, each with more than $2 million.
That was enough to beat out a disappointing opening for Universal's 'Babe: Pig In The City,' which made an estimated $2 million at 2,384 theaters. The sequel to the 1995 hit 'Babe' has been troubled by negative reviews and problems with completing the film on time. Artisan's opening of the Jerry Springer's comedy 'Ringmaster' was in eighth place, followed by Warner Bros.' rollout of Drew Barrymore's comedy-drama, 'Home Fries,' and Polygram's opening of 'Very Bad Things,' starring Cameron Diaz. ---
Copyright 1998 by United Press International. All rights reserved.
