Taking their cue from hostile critics, fans stayed away in droves as Warner Bros.’ “The Rookie” struggled through its first week. A 194-screen total gross of just over £ 600,000 suggests the Clint Eastwood headliner won’t perform better here than it has at home.
Otherwise, in a week that saw “Arachnophobia” continue way out in front of the pack, overall biz, though seasonally patchy, pretty much shrugged off the war.
“Arachnophobia” may be hauling in the big bucks, but the real gee-whiz pic of the moment is a subtitled import, the remake of “Cyrano de Bergerac,” which posted a stellar second frame (eight screens nationally, half in London) that improved on its wham first. It led the London field by a mile and figures to be a longterm meal ticket for distributor Artificial Eye.
“Home Alone,” which consistently has pulled better in the boondocks than in London, was the week’s runnerup again, but items like “Almost An Angel” and “Child’s Play 2” continued to perform like faded goods.
Other newcomers included a blah “Miracle Mile” (Hemdale) and disappointing bows for “The Fool” (Hobo) and Guild’s “Narrow Margin.”
New entrants now off and running include Universal’s “Havana,” UA’s “Rocky V” (both via UIP) and Col/Tri-Star’s “Postcards From The Edge.” Among them, biz should be in for a lift.
