‘Ghost’ Tops Box Office Again

Paramount Pictures’ romantic fantasy “Ghost” and Warner Bros.’ courtroom drama “Presumed Innocent” have taken over a summer that, for a while, seemed to belong exclusively to action films. The two “sleepers” changed positions--”Ghost” reclaimed first place over the weekend, just barely pushing “Presumed Innocent” into second. Between them, they did nearly $21 million worth of business.

“Ghost” grossed $10.7 million on 1,766 screens, averaging $6,115 per screen, and “Presumed Innocent” took in $10.1 million at 1,380 screens, for an average of $7,374.

Among the weekend’s new titles, 20th Century Fox’s Billy the Kid sequel “Young Guns II” led the way with $11.8 million over five days ($8 million over the weekend) and was third on the overall list. Spike Lee’s “Mo’ Better Blues,” set in the jazz clubs of New York, had a strong $8,065 per-screen average at 544 theaters, for total ticket sales of $4.3 million. The Universal Pictures release was ranked seventh.

Walt Disney Pictures’ “Duck Tales: The Movie, Treasure of the Lost Lamp” opened to $3.8 million worth of ticket sales at 1,549 theaters, good enough for eighth in the standings. Aimed at small fry--which means that receipts are largely based on children’s ticket prices--the animated feature is based on a Disney TV series.

Among limited releases, New Line Cinema’s critically acclaimed “Metropolitan” had a strong debut at a single theater in New York, where it earned $46,663. The comedy-drama about Park Avenue debutantes opens in Los Angeles on Friday.