Grinch Steals Top Box Office Spot

Monday, December 4th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

LOS ANGELES (AP) â€” With little more than Thanksgiving leftovers to pick from, moviegoers again let the Grinch steal the box office during a traditionally slow weekend for Hollywood.

``Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas'' held on to the top spot for the third consecutive weekend, bringing in $27.1 million, according to studio estimates Sunday. The figure was a 48 percent drop from the $52.1 million the Jim Carrey film brought in from Friday through Sunday last weekend.

``Unbreakable'' held the second spot with $15 million while No. 3 ''102 Dalmatians'' brought in $8.2 million, both tailing off at least 50 percent from last week.

In fact, with no major new movies opening, the top 12 films mostly held their rankings: the exceptions were the Navy diver drama ``Men of Honor'' and the Arnold Schwarzenegger cloning thriller ``The 6th Day,'' which switched positions, coming in seventh and eighth this week, respectively.

``This year and last year, we have the same sort of situation â€” we didn't have anything going into wide release the first week of December,'' said Paul Dergarabedian, president of Exhibitor Relations Co., which tracks movie industry revenues. ``The strategy is that it's so competitive you'd better let the market cool off before you bring in more wide releases.''

Overall, the top 12 films earned an estimated $83 million between Friday and Sunday, half of last weekend's gross of $167 million, according to Dergarabedian.

Last weekend's five-day total of $244.4 million, a figure that reflected all current releases in North America, set a record for an extended holiday.

Dergarabedian said this weekend's lull is unlikely to last long.

``There's good product in the pipeline,'' he said.

Films opening in wide release next week include the kidnapping drama ``Proof of Life,'' starring Meg Ryan and Russell Crowe, the mountain-climber thriller ``Vertical Limit'' and ``Dungeons and Dragons,'' a fantasy game turned movie.

Sony will also open in limited release Ang Lee's ``Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,'' which stars Chow Yun-Fat and Michelle Yeoh. The martial arts and historical romance set in ancient China has generated a lot of Oscar buzz since making its way around the film festival circuit.

Although plummeting from the Thanksgiving totals, this weekend's figures were, in fact, up about 17 percent from the comparable weekend last year. Aside from the top three, ``Rugrats in Paris: The Movie,'' held its No. 4 spot with $6.5 million. Sony's ``Charlie's Angels'' made $5.2 million in its fifth week.

Several other limited-release films drawing Oscar attention also held strong. The feel-good comedy ``Billy Elliot'' garnered $1.4 million in 510 theaters, about $2,745 per screen.

The sibling heartwarmer ``You Can Count On Me'' earned $417,000 in 53 theaters, or $7,868 per screen. The Marquis de Sade drama ``Quills'' made $209,500 in nine theaters for a remarkable $23,278 per screen. Comparatively, ``The Grinch'' earned an average of $8,636 per screen.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at North American theaters, according to Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc. Final figures are to be released Monday.

1. ``Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas,'' $27.1 million.

2. ``Unbreakable,'' $15 million.

3. ''102 Dalmatians,'' $8.2 million.

4. ``Rugrats in Paris: The Movie,'' $6.5 million.

5. ``Charlie's Angels,'' $5.2 million.

6. ``Bounce,'' $4.4 million.

7. ``Men of Honor,'' $4.2 million.

8. ``The Sixth Day,'' $4 million.

9. ``Meet the Parents,'' $3.8 million.

10. ``Little Nicky,'' $2.4 million.