Clooney Caps Box Office

By Stephen M. Silverman

08/28/1998 at 12:00 AM EDT

Great news for bad weather, bad news for moose and squirrel. And that, in a nutshell, was Hollywood's holiday weekend. "The Perfect Storm," with George Clooney, exceeded industry expectations, overcame sour reviews and sailed to the top of the box office, while "The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle," with Robert De Niro and the animated animals, tanked. "The Patriot," starring Mel Gibson, which was expected to be the No. 1 movie, wasn't. And Jim Carrey's "Me, Myself and Irene" is shaping up to be a bit of a disappointment, which is good news for cows. (That's a movie-related joke.) The 5-day holiday weekend estimates:

1. "The Perfect Storm," $65 million.

2. "The Patriot," $35.2 million.

3. "Chicken Run," $21 million.

4. "Me, Myself & Irene," $19.5 million.

5. "The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle," $11 million.

6. "Shaft," $9.7 million.

7. "Big Momma's House," $8.6 million.

8. "Gone in 60 Seconds," $7.8 million.

9. "Mission: Impossible 2," $7.7 million.

10. "Gladiator," $3.7 million.