Another Weak "Watcher" Weekend

Sun., Sep. 17, 2000 2:10 PM PDT by Bridget Byrne

Keanu Reeves' The Watcher remained number one in a weekend where movie watchers were few.

The serial killer thriller earned an estimated $5.7 million, the lowest take for a number-one movie this year in what was the worst box-office weekend in three years. The gross for the top 12 was estimated by receipt counter Exhibitor Relations to be just $38.05 million. That's 15.6 percent less than the dismal take last weekend and a huge 43.5 percent drop for the same time last year. The studios are blaming the Summer Olympics for the lack of filmgoers.

The weekend's one major wide release, Jamie Foxx's small-time crook caper Bait, wasn't enough of a lure to manage more than second place. It opened with an estimated $5.5 million from 2,352 screens.

The best news of the week came from a film that debuted in limited release. Almost Famous gave the DreamWorks folk something to feel good about as they roll the film out slowly, hoping it will rock come Oscar time.

Cameron Crowe's memoir of a cub reporter on the rock 'n' roll circuit debuted in eighth place. Playing in just 131 theaters since opening Wednesday, the '70s trip, starring Billy Crudup, Kate Hudson and the newly famous Patrick Fugit, scored a $17,557 per screen average--the weekend's best--for a $2.3 million gross.

Another music-themed movie finally made its long-awaited debut. Duets, starring the all-too-famous Gwyneth Paltrow and directed by her less well known dad, Bruce, opened in limited release. The karaoke road trip opened in 581 theaters, garnering $3,442 per screen to total $2 million. That tied it with Scary Movie, which in its 11th week of release is back in more theaters. The low-budget horror spoof's total gross has reached $151.7 million.

Crime & Punishment in Suburbia, an MTV generation take on the classic novel, was apparently curiosity enough to earn $10,000 from just five locations.

The estimated top 10 stacked up this way:

1. The Watcher, $5.7 million
2. Bait, $5.5 million
3. Bring It On, $5.1 million
4. Nurse Betty, $4.7 million
5. What Lies Beneath, $2.6 million
6. Space Cowboys, $2.5 million
7. The Cell, $2.4 million
8. Almost Famous, $2.3 million
9. Duets, $2 million
9. Scary Movie, $2 million.