The Summer Blockbuster: Where Is It? : Films: It's almost the Fourth of July, but there has been no explosion like that of "Batman."

The Summer Blockbuster: Where Is It? : Films: It’s almost the Fourth of July, but there has been no explosion like that of “Batman.”

By PAT H. BROESKE

July 2, 1990 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

What happened? Where’s the summer’s movie blockbuster?

Half a dozen high-profile movies have opened since the Memorial Day weekend holiday, but on the eve of the Fourth of July, not one has exploded into a “Batman”-like phenomenon. Or even a semi-”Batman”-like phenomenon.

The latest film on the track, Paramount Pictures’ $50-million-plus “Days of Thunder,” got off to a quiet start with opening weekend ticket sales of $15.4 million, and a five-day total (the movie opened last Wednesday) of $21.5 million. This boils down to a five-day per-screen average of $9,320--or a three-day average of $6,715. Industry expectations were much higher for the film that many critics have labeled “ ‘Top Gun’ on wheels,” since it reunites Tom Cruise with producers Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer, this time out with a stock car racing scenario scripted by Robert Towne and much-touted state-of-the-art racing photography.

The “Days of Thunder” release was paced by the much anticipated openings of Orion Pictures’ “RoboCop 2” ($14.1 million; $8,001 per-screen ), Walt Disney Studio’s “Dick Tracy” ($22.5 million; $9,667 per-screen), Paramount’s “Another 48 HRS.” ($19.4 million; $8,462 per-screen), Tri-Star Pictures’ “Total Recall” ($25.5 million--the year’s biggest to date; $12,395 per screen ) and Universal Pictures’ “Back to the Future III” ($23.7 million over the four-day Memorial Day weekend holiday; $11,740 per-screen).

But after those openings, all but “Total Recall” and “Dick Tracy” have quickly spiraled downward.

Now, prognosticators are pointing to the next big release, Twentieth Century-Fox’s $60 million-plus “Die Hard 2”--opening today--as the blockbuster everybody’s been waiting for. Running a close second is the Disney Studio’s “Arachnophobia,” due July 20.

In the meantime, the top 10--in estimates--with the weekend’s gross, and total gross are:

1--”Days of Thunder,” $15.4 million, weekend; $21.5 million over five days.

2--”Dick Tracy,” $10.6 million; $62 million.

3--”RoboCop 2,” $6.5 million; $22 million.

4--”Total Recall,” $5.6 million; $90 million.

5--”Another 48 HRS.,” $5.4 million; $56 million.

6--”Ghost Dad” (Universal Pictures), $4.5 million (opening weekend).

7-- “Gremlins 2: The New Batch” (Warner Bros.), $4.5; $26 million.

8--”Betsy’s Wedding” (Disney Studio), $3.2 million; $10 million.

9--”Pretty Woman” (Disney Studio), $3.1 million; $150 million.

10--”Back to the Future III,” $2.6 million; $67 million.