'Tis the season for potential oscar nomination films to be released in the USA before the deadline of December 30. That means around eight to ten weekends of releases vying for a position to be recognised come oscar night. Remarkably, the clear favourites so far are Saving Private Ryan, and the Truman Show, both released a few months ago. Whether any of the serious oscar contenders in the next ten weeks will have the box office legs to be recognised by the academy (though, often, recognition leads to the larger box office), there are a number of films to watch out for. One of those films is "Pleasantville". I haven't really read much about it cause I prefer to browse through reviews to look at the ratings and the adjectives critics use. The feedback is positive. People within dreamworks are saying that the Prince of Egypt may definitely get a nomination, if not the best picture award. Other potential contenders will be coming out thick and thin throughout the season - Apt Pupil, Gods and Monsters, American History X (marred by the refusal of the director to credit his name to the project) and Elizabeth in the acting category. There's much good quality on the screen. From the Australian perspective, the only oscar worthy film I've seen this year is "The Truman Show" (film, director, actor, supporting actor, set design), and Cate Blanchett in "Elizabeth". There are no obvious stand outs like James Cameron's TITANIC or L.A. Confidential. This could change as Australia gets more of the good quality stuff in late 1998 and early 1999. Anyway, I've gone on too much. Pleasantville has topped the US box office - that alone should keep publicity for the film going for a while. Meanwhile, Antz's amazing run at the box office continues, becoming the highest grossing animation for a non-Disney film (if you include Toy Story as a Disney film). If Bug's Life is as successful as I think it will be (more successful than Antz), then we are entering a new era in which a movie is chosen for its content - and not because animation always equates with kids films.

Straight into the box office gurus summary:

(figures in brackets are cumulative totals)

1 Pleasantville $ 8,855,063

2 Practical Magic $8,792,505 ($25,878,968)

3 Antz $8,114,334 ($61,732,909)

4 Bride of Chucky $7,078,275 ($21,410,725)

5 Soldier $6,447,237

6 Rush Hour $5,860,347 ($117,284,969)

7 Beloved $4,286,417 8 ($14,736,650)

8 What Dreams May Come $4,038,044 ($47,042,103)

9 Apt Pupil $3,583,151

10 A Night at the Roxbury $2,326,454($26,553,953)

THIS WEEKEND New Line's latest release Pleasantville barely edged out last week's topper Practical Magic to earn the number one spot with an opening of $8.9M, according to final studio figures. Debuting in 1,636 swell locations, Pleasantville averaged a solid $5,413 per theater which was easily the best average of any film in the top ten. With an ensemble cast featuring Tobey Maguire, Reese Witherspoon, William H. Macy, Joan Allen, Jeff Daniels, and Don Knotts, the fantasy comedy follows two teenagers who are mysteriously sent from their modern 1990s world into the good, clean, and wholesome world of a 1950s black-and-white sitcom.

Overall, it was a solid opening for Pleasantville and its future looks promising as well. Reviews have been very positive and strong word-of-mouth is spreading from this weekend's movie patrons. Its healthy 40% rise in business from Friday to Saturday is also a good sign that Pleasantville will remain a top contender at the box office for weeks to come. For New Line, the Gary Ross-directed film became the distributor's fourth number one opening this year following Lost in Space, Blade, and Rush Hour. No other studio has had more top spot debuts in 1998.

Slipping one notch to a close second was Practical Magic, starring Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman, which conjured up a weekend take of $8.8M. The Warner Bros. romantic comedy was off only 33% in its sophomore session despite not-so-favorable reviews from critics. After ten days, Magic has collected $25.9M and looks headed for a final tally of about $50M.

Still crawling all over the number three spot was one of the season's biggest hitz, Antz, with $8.1M. Off just 28%, the DreamWorks pic has boosted its cume to an impressive $61.7M. Later this week, Antz will become the highest-grossing non-Disney animated feature ever, surpassing Paramount's Beavis and Butthead Do America which grossed $63M. Plus, Antz will become the second biggest domestic film in the short history of DreamWorks after Saving Private Ryan. The studio is hoping to utilize the momentum of the bug pic to ensure brisk business for its next toon, The Prince of Egypt, which bows December 18th.

Universal's Bride of Chucky took a stab at fourth with $7.1M over the Friday-to-Sunday period. Falling 40% (good for a horror sequel) in its second honeymoon, Bride has collected $21.4M in its registry and should scare up around $35M by the end of its run.

Rounding out the top five was the disappointing new cadet Soldier, starring Kurt Russell, which was court martialed by moviegoers and earned just $6.5M according to estimates. The big-budget Warners action vehicle was ambushed by critics and failed to generate much box office firepower as it averaged only $2,572 in 2,507 platoons. Soldier gave its star Russell his second-worst opening of the decade besting only the 1992 comedy clunker Captain Ron which set sail with $4.9M and docked with $22.5M. The would-be Mr. Goldie Hawn has enjoyed a consistently solid box office track record with action films over the years starring in hits like 1991's Backdraft ($77.5M domestic tally), 1994's Stargate ($71.5M), and 1996's Executive Decision ($56.7M). This time, his starpower could not open the Paul Anderson-helmed testosterone flick and long-term prospects look bleak.

The season's number one film, Rush Hour, took sixth place with $5.9M pushing its cume to a sparkling $117.3M. Meanwhile, Oprah Winfrey, ranked as the most powerful person in the entertainment industry by Entertainment Weekly magazine, showed little muscle as her cherished motion picture Beloved fell an alarming 48% giving it the biggest dropoff of any film in the top ten. Taking in $4.3M, the Buena Vista post-Civil War drama could not generate enough consumer support to power its way to a durable box office performance. After ten days, Beloved has earned $14.7M and looks destined for a final tally of about $25M, or roughly half its production budget. It is also unlikely that any end-of-year kudos from critics will have financial effects on the Jonathan Demme-directed pic.

Polygram's What Dreams May Come took eighth place with $4M, raising its heavenly cume to $47M. The frame's final new wide release, Apt Pupil from Sony, debuted in ninth with $3.6M. Playing in 1,448 sites, the Bryan Singer picture averaged a mild $2,475. The suspense drama about a teen's desire to unleash secrets of a Nazi war criminal's past did not play very well in areas like the midwest and the south, according to a Sony spokesman. Its small 18% bump on Saturday indicates a relatively swift theatrical life ahead. Paramount's A Night at the Roxbury rounded out the top ten with $2.3M. And in weekend number seventeen, Buena Vista's Armageddon crossed the $200M threshold making it the only film released this year to reach that level, and the 24th motion picture ever to cross the hurdle (in unadjusted dollars).

After four weeks in the top ten, both Ronin and Urban Legend fell below the ranks and stand with $38M and $33M respectively. Also stumbling out was Eddie Murphy's Holy Man, quite possibly the biggest flop of the autumn season, which has grossed just $11M in 17 days.

Opening in New York and Los Angeles was Cannes-winner Life is Beautiful from director/star Roberto Benigni which averaged a powerful $20,000 in six theaters. Also arriving in limited release was the porn industry comedy Orgazmo, directed by and starring Trey Parker. The NC-17-rated film grossed about $211,000 in 94 sites for a mildly arousing $2,244 average and was evidently hurt somewhat by its rating. Miramax's Sharon Stone drama The Mighty expanded into 518 theaters, from 129 last week, and collected an estimated $625,000. That gives the pic a weak $1,207 average, a cume of just $1.2M, and a not-so-mighty future ahead of it.

So far this fall, moviegoers have indicated that they have been in the mood for fun, light-hearted fare as witnessed by the success of Rush Hour, Antz, and the promising start to Pleasantville. More serious films, which have been the traditional staple of the season, have struggled to find a large audience. Movies like Beloved, One True Thing, Apt Pupil, Simon Birch, and The Mighty have not energized ticket buyers very much this season. Nevertheless, with about two months left in 1998, domestic box office sales are up 10% from this point last year with $5.39 billion collected to date, according to The Hollywood Reporter.