‘Kiss’ Thwarts Challenge From ‘Seven Years In Tibet’

Tue., Oct. 14, 1997

Associated Press

A sadist sapped the star power of Brad Pitt as the thriller “Kiss the Girls” stayed No. 1 at the box office this weekend, pushing the debut of “Seven Years in Tibet” to No. 2.

“Kiss the Girls,” about a sadist preying on women, made an estimated $11.1 million, according to preliminary figures released Sunday.

“Seven Years in Tibet,” which debuted for Sony/Tristar, had $10 million. That normally would be enough for first place during the film industry’s autumn down time, but few anticipated the strength of “Kiss the Girls.”

“It is a surprise,” said film investment specialist Dave Davis. “It’s the first time since the summer that a film has held onto the No. 1 spot, and it’s kind of interesting because you have ‘Seven Years in Tibet’ and you have a big star in Brad Pitt.”

“This kind of horror and thriller genre has had a strong run,” starting with “Scream” earlier this year, he added.

Morgan Freeman and Ashley Judd of “Kiss the Girls” haven’t been considered big openers, said Davis, vice president of Houlihan, Lokey, Howard and Zukin investment bankers.

Pitt, playing an Austrian mountaineer who befriends the young Dalai Lama, played on 2,103 screens, 199 fewer than “Kiss the Girls,”’ which has collected $28.5 million in two weeks.

“It’s showing that audiences aren’t necessarily choosing a star when they choose a film,” said Davis. It also shows the audience appeal of suspense, he said.

The low-budget “Soul Food” from Fox was third in its third weekend with $5.4 million.

Also in the top 10 were “Most Wanted,” starring Keenan Ivory Wayans, and “Gang Related,” featuring the late rapper Tupac Shakur. Some experts thought the new pictures with black stars would cut into the audience of “Soul Food.”

It turned out there was plenty of audience to go around.

“October has not been historically a strong period for film openings,” as it falls between the new summer movies and the holiday crop, Davis said.

“But business is up. It looks to be 25-30 percent over last year, which is the way the whole fall has been,” he said.

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