‘Outbreak’ Outpaces ‘Payne’

It may have been a “Major Payne” to the week’s other two debut films, but Damon Wayans’ latest attempt at big-screen humor wasn’t enough to unseat “Outbreak” from No. 1.

The killer-virus thriller earned another $8 million to push its three-week total to $40 million, according to figures compiled by Exhibitor Relations Co. That was enough to hold off “Major Payne,” which ranked second with a $7 million take.

Just behind at No. 3 was “Dolores Claiborne,” the Stephen King-based mystery starring Kathy Bates and Jennifer Jason Leigh. “Dolores,” boasting the best reviews of any King feature in years, grossed $5.7 million.

The week’s third premiere, “Tall Tale: The Unbelievable Adventures of Pecos Bill” earned just $3 million, placing it just behind the No. 4 movie, “Man of the House” ($3.2 million, $30.1 million in four weeks).

The effect of its six Oscars won’t kick in until this weekend, but “Forrest Gump” has already become the No. 4-ranking film in box office history. Earning $2 million in its sixth week of re-release, “Gump” has totaled a whopping $317.1 million. Meanwhile, “Pulp Fiction” is threatening to surpass $100 million; the film’s $2.5 million gross upped its 24-week total to $95.1 million.

At the other end of the scale, “Circle of Friends,” a small Irish romantic drama that opens in Spokane today, earned $1.6 million in its second week of limited release.