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The Honolulu Advertiser

Updated at 5:45 p.m., Monday, June 24, 2002

`Minority Report' edges `Lilo & Stitch' for first

By David Germain
Associated Press

LOS ANGELES — Tom Cruise and Steven Spielberg’s “Minority Report” won bragging rights as the weekend’s top film, debuting with $35.7 million to edge the animated “Lilo & Stitch,” which opened with $35.3 million.

Final numbers issued today showed both films came in below box-office estimates their studios had released a day earlier — 20th Century Fox had pegged “Minority Report” at $36.9 million, and Disney had estimated “Lilo & Stitch” at $35.8 million.

On Sunday, Disney and other studios were tracking “Lilo & Stitch” ahead of “Minority Report.” Disney conceded the No. 1 slot after final numbers came in from theaters today.

The animated feature “Lilo & Stitch” is set on Kaua'i and tells the story of a lonely little girl who, with the help of a mischievous space alien she adopts as a pet, helps rediscover her sense of family and belonging.

“I’d be a little happier if I could have found a couple hundred thousand dollars more. It’s as wafer thin as you can make it,” said Chuck Viane, Disney head of distribution. “It’s great to be mentioned in the same breath as Spielberg and Cruise and the No. 1 film.”

Weekly film rankings have become a horse race in recent years as audiences became more interested in the box office. Some movie-goers base their film choices on which one led the list the previous weekend, and studios run ads proclaiming their movies as No. 1 when they land a film on top of the box office.

Bruce Snyder, head of distribution for Fox, said both films debuted strongly no matter which came out on top.

“It’s real close, and those are two great numbers,” Snyder said.

The top 20 movies at North American theaters Friday through Sunday, followed by distribution studio, gross, number of theater locations, average receipts per location, total gross and number of weeks in release, as compiled today by Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc. and Nielsen EDI Inc. are:

1. “Minority Report,” Fox, $35.7 million, 3,001 locations, $11,888 average, $35.7 million, one week.

2. “Lilo & Stitch,” Disney, $35.3 million, 3,191 locations, $11,050 average, $35.3 million, one week.

3. “Scooby-Doo,” Warner Bros., $24.5 million, 3,447 locations, $7,101 average, $100.3 million, two weeks.

4. “The Bourne Identity,” Universal, $15.1 million, 2,643 locations, $5,705 average, $54.4 million, two weeks.

5. “The Sum of All Fears,” Paramount, $7.8 million, 3,037 locations, $2,557 average, $97.3 million, four weeks.

6. “Windtalkers,” MGM, $6.6 million, 2,898 locations, $2,261 average, $26.6 million, two weeks.

7. “Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood,” Warner Bros., $6 million, 2,310 locations, $2,610 average, $46.7 million, three weeks.

8. “Juwanna Mann,” Warner Bros., $5.5 million, 1,325 locations, $4,132 average, $5.5 million, one week.

9. “Star Wars: Episode II — Attack of the Clones,” Fox, $5.2 million, 2,107 locations, $2,445 average, $279.8 million, six weeks.

10. “Spider-Man,” Sony, $4.6 million, 2,278 locations, $2,000 average, $390.4 million, eight weeks.

11. “Bad Company,” Disney, $2.13 million, 1,562 locations, $1,362 average, $26.5 million, three weeks.

12. “Undercover Brother,” Universal, $2.12 million, 1,305 locations, $1,625 average, $35.5 million, four weeks.

13. “Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron,” DreamWorks, $2 million, 2,005 locations, $995 average, $68.3 million, five weeks.

14. “My Big Fat Greek Wedding,” IFC Films, $1.8 million, 444 locations, $4,002 average, $16.3 million, 10 weeks.

15. “Insomnia,” Warner Bros., $1.77 million, 1,343 locations, $1,317 average, $61.8 million, five weeks.

16. “About a Boy,” Universal, $1.2 million, 804 locations, $1,505 average, $37.3 million, six weeks.

17. “Space Station,” IMAX, $597,854, 55 locations, $10,870 average, $9.6 million, 10 weeks.

18. “Enough,” Sony, $585,840, 618 locations, $948 average, $38.5 million, five weeks.

19. “The Importance of Being Earnest,” Miramax, $527,454, 201 locations, $2,624 average, $4.2 million, five weeks.

20. “Unfaithful,” Fox, $356,399, 335 locations, $1,064 average, $51.3 million, seven weeks.