‘Toy Story 2’ blows away competition, box-office records

David Germain

Monday, Nov. 29, 1999 | 9:06 a.m.

LOS ANGELES - The playthings lived up to their buzz.

"Toy Story 2," Disney and Pixar's animated sequel about Woody, Buzz Lightyear and their toy buddies, opened with a five-day take of $80.8 million, according to industry estimates Sunday.

The sequel far outpaced the previous Thanksgiving holiday record of $45.7 million set last year by "A Bug's Life," produced by the same studios.

James Bond won the battle of explosion movies as "The World Is Not Enough" took the No. 2 spot with $35 million from Wednesday to Sunday, dropping from first place in its second weekend. Arnold Schwarzenegger's "End of Days," about an ex-cop who takes on Satan, premiered in third with $31 million.

"We rolled right over Arnold and the devil," said Larry Gleason, president of worldwide distribution for MGM, which released the Bond film. The movie has grossed $76.3 million in 10 days.

The No. 2 movie last weekend, Tim Burton's comic horror tale "Sleepy Hollow," fell to fourth place with $27.4 million.

"Toy Story 2," the follow-up to the computer-animated hit of 1995, was expected to do record business, but its take far exceeded Hollywood analysts' projections. The film has gathered rave reviews, with many critics saying it's better than the original.

"These are unbelievable numbers," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc., which tracks the box office. "We're breaking all kinds of records."

The movie averaged a whopping $24,969 a screen in 3,236 theaters, compared with $11,065 on 3,163 screens for "The World Is Not Enough" and $11,960 in 2,592 theaters for "End of Days."

It was a record-breaking weekend overall, with the top 12 films taking in $209.9 million over five days, easily beating the all-time Thanksgiving high for all movies of $182.3 million set last year. The gross for the top four movies alone this Thanksgiving was just $10 million short of that overall record.

"Toy Story 2," with Tom Hanks and Tim Allen reprising the voices of Woody the cowboy and space ranger Buzz Lightyear, had the third-highest gross all-time for a five-day opening, behind $105 million for "Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace" and $85 million for "Independence Day."

The movie took in $57.5 million Friday to Sunday, breaking the industry record for a three-day animated debut of $40.9 million by Disney's "The Lion King," the studio's top grossing movie at $312 million.

"Toy Story 2" likely will top $200 million domestically, said Chuck Viane, head of distribution for Disney. The original "Toy Story" grossed $192 million in the United States.

It was the fifth Thanksgiving in a row that Disney debuted the top-grossing movie. "Toy Story 2" technically opened a week earlier, playing in one Disney-owned theater in Los Angeles before going nationwide.

The weekend's other big release was "Flawless," starring Robert De Niro as a stroke victim who takes singing lessons from a drag queen. It opened in 12th place with $2 million over five days.

The movie "Tumbleweeds," acclaimed for a powerhouse performance by Janet McTeer as a mother on the run from bad relationships, opened in five New York and Los Angeles theaters with $45,730 for an impressive $9,146 average. The movie goes into wider release next month.

Estimated ticket sales for Wednesday through Sunday at North American theaters, according to Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc. Final figures are to be released today.

1. "Toy Story 2," $80.8 million.

2. "The World Is Not Enough," $35 million.

3. "End of Days," $31 million.

4. "Sleepy Hollow," $27.4 million.

5. "Pokemon," $9.1 million.

6. "The Bone Collector," $7.3 million.

7. "Dogma," $4.9 million.

8. "Anywhere But Here," $4 million.

9. "The Insider," $3.3 million.

10. "Being John Malkovich," $2.9 million.

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