Bruce Tops Madonna

By Stephen M. Silverman

10/20/1998 at 12:00 AM EDT

Laughs were big at the box office this weekend, although not THAT big. Business was weak all over. "The Whole Nine Yards," with Bruce Willis and Matthew Perry, held onto the No. 1 spot for the third week running, followed by Madonna's new (and critically panned) "The Next Best Thing." "What Planet Are You From?," starring and cowritten by Garry Shandling, fizzled, taking in a shockingly low $3 million. Industry estimates placed the weekend take as follows:

1. "The Whole Nine Yards," $7.3 million.
2. "The Next Best Thing," $6 million.
3. "My Dog Skip," $5.94 million.
4. "Drowning Mona," $5.9 million.
5. (tie) "Pitch Black," $5 million.
5. (tie) "Snow Day," $5 million.
7. "Reindeer Games," $4.8 million.
8. "Wonder Boys," $4.2 million.
9. "American Beauty," $4.1 million.
10. "The Cider House Rules," $4.05 million.