WEEKEND BOX OFFICE : Murphy Still Box Office King

Keeping with its reputation, Warner Bros. continues a plodding performance at the box office this summer. Two big names in a sequel--”Arthur 2 on the Rocks,” starring Dudley Moore and Liza Minnelli--secured the studio a No. 3 spot last weekend. The film grossed $5.15 million at 1,426 theaters, averaging $3,612 per screen. That’s a decent showing--assuming “Arthur 2” doesn’t sink as fast as the studio’s other summer comedy, Chevy Chase’s “Funny Farm.” Warner Bros. should get a big boost in the grueling summer competition when its latest Dirty Harry film, “The Dead Pool,” opens on Wednesday.

Weekend Gross/ Screens/ Weeks Movie (Studio) Total (millions) Average in Release 1. “Coming to America” $13.3 2,064 2 (Paramount) $49.5 $6,464 2. “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” $11.5 1,286 3 (Touchstone/Disney) $54.5 $8,957 3. “Arthur 2 on the Rocks” $5.15 1,426 1 (Warner Bros.) $5.15 $3,612 4. “Big” $5.14 1,384 6 (20th Century Fox) $60.6 $3,712 5. “Bull Durham” $3.91 1,221 4 (Orion) $27.1 $3,202 * “License to Drive” $3.85 1,223 1 (20th Century Fox) $3.85 $3,148

* “License to Drive,” the latest summer teen flick, grossed $3.8 million at 1,223 theaters, averaging $3,148 per screen.

SOURCE: Exhibitor Relations Co.