Murphy Gets Stung by ‘Antz’

The nation’s box office over the weekend was behaving as unpredictably as the stock market. How else can you explain that a wry ant played by Woody Allen could bench press a comic guru embodied by Eddie Murphy?

Audiences seemed to sense that Murphy as a holy man really didn’t have the spirit in him. Despite an absence of new competitors, the Disney comedy debuted in fifth place at a startlingly low $5.3 million in 2,013 theaters. Interestingly, “Holy Man” was unable to latch onto the coattails of one of Murphy’s biggest box-office triumphs in years, “Dr. Dolittle,” which debuted in midsummer at $29 million and will end up with $145 million. “Holy Man” is the comic’s worst debut in recent memory, lower than 1995’s “Vampire in Brooklyn,” which sputtered to a bloodless $7 million start.

“Holy Man” was certainly no match for the Wood Man as “Antz,” the animated comedy adventure in which Allen voices one of his typically neurotic characters, stayed on top with a surprisingly strong $15.4 million on 2,813 screens, for a potent 10-day total of more than $36 million. With only a modest 11% drop (thanks in part to expected big Sunday numbers before today’s Columbus Day holiday), “Antz” is now the fall season’s second certified hit. But even without the holiday, “Antz” brought in $6.4 million on Saturday alone, virtually double its Friday grosses, attesting to the family drawing power of animation even in a normally off period for movie attendance.

The other hit of the season is, of course, “Rush Hour,” starring the intrepid box-office duo of Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan. “Rush Hour” climbed up a notch into second in its fourth weekend. Dropping a scant 24%, the action comedy collected an estimated $11.5 million in 2,701 theaters. The film could cross the $100-million threshold by tonight.

After spending midweek at the top of the charts, “What Dreams May Come” slid back to third place with a more-than-acceptable second-week drop of about 30% to an estimated $11 million, and about $31 million after 10 days in theaters. “Dreams” may not develop into a major hit, but it should be one of the season’s better performers.

Despite the absence of a strong newcomer, grosses for the top 12 films were nonetheless almost 15% ahead of the same October weekend last year, thanks again to a holiday that is celebrated in some of the bigger urban markets in the East. Of the about $67 million taken in by those top dozen, the top three films accounted for about half the total.

“A Night at the Roxbury” stuck it out in fourth with a typical drop of about 35% in its second weekend to $6.1 million in 2,169 theaters and about $18 million in 10 days. “Urban Legend” held on steadfastly to sixth place as the teen audience waited for an alternative (which could be next weekend’s “Bride of Chucky”). In its third weekend, “Legend” scared up $4.8 million in 2,257 theaters for about $26.5 million to date. Teen horror doesn’t seem to have peaked just yet.

The Robert De Niro action flick “Ronin” tied with “Urban Legend” in the estimates with $4.8 million on 2,487 screens, down an acceptable 33%. The car-chase saga has taken in a moderately good $31 million over the past three weeks but may not have enough gas in its tank to go the distance and become a real hit. “There’s Something About Mary” still has a tiger in the tank, adding $3 million on 1,933 screens in its 13th weekend and is now at $162 million, meaning it should be a force in theaters through the start of the holiday season in early November.

The drama “One True Thing” was down to an estimated $2 million on 1,567 screens. Now at the $20-million mark, it’s winding down after four weeks in theaters. Completing the top 10 was “Saving Private Ryan” at $1.4 million and $186 million since it first hit the beach three months ago.

Miramax’s “The Mighty,” starring Sharon Stone, may have tried to pass itself off as “Good Will Hunting,” but audiences weren’t buying, leaving the film with only a decent debut of $90,000 in 10 theaters.

Next weekend brings a much-needed rush of new blood in a varied slate of openings, starting with Oprah Winfrey’s star vehicle “Beloved”; a tale of romantic witchcraft, “Practical Magic,” starring Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman; and the tongue-in-cheek horror film “Bride of Chucky.”