‘Congo’ Nabs Best Showing Of ‘95

To the surprise of virtually everyone, the killer-ape thriller “Congo” posted - for one week, anyway - the year’s record for best box-office opening.

Based on the Michael Crichton novel, yet lacking even a single A-list actor, “Congo” earned $24.6 million, according to figures compiled by Exhibitor Relations Co.

“Batman Forever,” Joel Schumacher’s continuation of the “Batman” series, opens today and, experts say, may earn as much as $30 million over its opening week.

Whatever, “Congo,” which earned mediocre reviews across the nation, ended the two-week run of “Casper” as No. 1. In its third week, the ghostly movie earned $10.9 million, upping its total to $55 million.

Back in third spot, Clint Eastwood’s adaptation of the best-selling novel “The Bridges of Madison County” took in an impressive $9.3 million.

Falling fast are such highly hyped recent releases as “Johnny Mnemonic” (No. 9, $1.6 million), “Mad Love” (No. 10, $1.2 million) and “Fluke” (No. 14, $702,00).

According to the Hollywood Reporter, three films now playing rank among the year’s highest-grossing efforts: “Die Hard With a Vengeance” ranks No. 6 with $72,073,110, “Crimson Tide” is No. 7 with $70,554,522 and “While You Were Sleeping” is No. 10 with $65,463,078.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Photo