Beauty invariably wins out when matched against the beast, and that notion was proven again by the nation’s movie box office totals.

“Legends of the Fall,” featuring Brad Pitt - People magazine’s “Sexiest Man Alive” - remained No. 1 in gross receipts, according to figures provided by Exhibitor Relations Co. The Edward Zwick-directed film grossed $9 million.

Meanwhile, the week’s only major debut, “Murder in the First,” ended up at No. 5 courtesy of its $4.7 million take. “Murder in the First” stars Kevin Bacon as a disfigured Alcatraz inmate being defended for murder by Christian Slater.

John Singleton’s overheated look at modern campus life, “Higher Learning,” dropped precipitously in its second week of release. A $6.1 million take earned it the runner-up spot behind “Legends of the Fall,” upping its overall gross to $24.9 million.

At No. 3, “Dumb & Dumber” neared the $100 million mark in its sixth week. The Jim Carrey feature earned $5.9 million, bringing its total to $98.3 million.

“Nobody’s Fool,” courtesy of a fine performance by Paul Newman, is still performing strong after five weeks. It ranked No. 4 ($5.4 million, $14.6 million overall).

And Disney’s “The Lion King,” earning $1.37 million in its 10th week of reissue, upped its overall gross to a whopping $306.4 million.

The following fields overflowed: SUPCAT = COLUMN, MOVIE REVIEW - Box office