SANTA MONICA, Calif., Feb. 27, 2000 -- Acting ability aside, you have to admire Madonna's tenacity when it comes to putting herself time and again in front of the lens, raw and intrepid -- as if she's never heard of seriously bad flicks such as "Body of Evidence," "Who's That Girl" and "Shanghai Express." The list goes on and on. "Next Best Thing" So this Friday finds the M One going at it all over again with "The Next Best Thing" (opening nationwide). In her continual quest to prove that sh

SANTA MONICA, Calif., March 5, 2000 -- Despite all the hype, Madonna came in second best at the weekend box office.Studio tracking studies predicting a first-place opening for Paramount's "The Next Best Thing," the romantic comedy/drama teaming the Material Girl with Rupert Everett, were wrong. Instead, top honors went for the third consecutive weekend to Warner Bros.' "The Whole Nine Yards."Bruce Willis "Yards," the R-rated hit comedy from Warners, Morgan Creek and Franchise Pictures, held str

SANTA MONICA, Calif., March 12, 2000 -- Hollywood found lots of life on "Mars" this weekend as Buena Vista/Touchstone's "Mission to Mars" blasted off to about $23 million. "Mars" landed in 3,054 theaters with an out-of-this-world estimated $23.10 million ($7,559 per theater). Its per-theater average was the highest for any film playing in wide release this weekend. It was a victory as well for studio tracking studies, which had predicted a first-place finish in the mid $20 millions. For the pre

Ten class action lawsuits filed against the major movie studios question the ethics of movie junkets and the reviews that the junkets spawn. The lawsuit comes soon after Sony Pictures admitted creating a phantom critic praise The Animal and A Knight's Tale.

SANTA MONICA, Calif., March 26, 2000 -- Julia Roberts showed great box-office legs as Universal's "Erin Brockovich" held on to the top spot on the chart. "Erin Brockovich" The R-rated dramatic comedy, co-financed by Universal and Columbia, finished first in its second week with a sexy estimated $19.03 million (-32%) at 2,851 theaters (+3 theaters, $6,675 per theater). Its total to date is approximately $56.3 million. "This is a picture that is obviously a crowd pleaser," Universal Distribut

SANTA MONICA, Calif., March 19, 2000 -- Julia Roberts was worth her weight in box office gold this weekend as Universal's opening of "Erin Brockovich" topped the chart with more than $28 million. The R-rated dramatic comedy, co-financed by Universal and Columbia (which is releasing it internationally), kicked off to a perky estimated $28.21 million at 2,847 theaters ($9,910 per theater). Its per-theater average was the highest for any film playing in wide release this weekend. "Steven Soderberg

SANTA MONICA, Calif., March 16, 2000 -- Julia Roberts' new movie "Erin Brockovich" should turn its St. Patrick's Day competition green with envy. "Erin Brockovich" The biopic's well-attended sneaks Saturday helped jump-start favorable word of mouth about the R-rated drama about a real-life law-firm secretary (Roberts) who takes on a giant corporation over the poisoning of a California community's water supply. "Erin Brockovich," opening at 2,845 theaters, is well-positioned to do blockbuste

SANTA MONICA, Calif., March 9, 2000 -- Looks like the Red Planet will generate most of this weekend's box-office green. "Mission to Mars" should blast off in first place with about $25 million, according to studio-tracking studies that see everything else in the marketplace flying in a much lower orbit. The most recent tracking scores for "Mission," starring Gary Sinise and Tim Robbins as astronauts on a Mars-bound expedition, show the film being pegged as the No. 1 flick of choice by 17 percen

SANTA MONICA, Calif., March 2, 2000 -- Madonna's "The Next Best Thing" could turn out to be the best thing at the box office this weekend."It's going to be a very lackluster weekend. Nothing's going to be too great," predicted one studio insider looking at tracking scores. The one possible exception: "Next Best Thing," starring the M One and Rupert Everett as a straight woman and a gay man, respectively, who raise a child together. In recent studio tracking data, the comedy-drama was listed as t