‘GoodFellas’ Claims No. 1 at Box Office

Gangsters claimed the No. 1 spot at the box office during a sleepy moviegoing weekend.

The critically admired “GoodFellas,” from Warner Bros. and director Martin Scorsese, had opening weekend ticket sales of $6.4 million on 1,070 screens, for a per-screen average of $5,981.

“GoodFellas,” at 145 minutes a veritable saga, chronicles the life and times of Mafia members Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta and Joe Pesci. It pushed “Postcards From the Edge”--about a stormy mother-daughter relationship--into second place.

Starring Meryl Streep and Shirley MacLaine, Columbia Pictures’ “Postcards” grossed $6.3 million on 1,322 screens, for $4,765 per screen. That’s a 20% drop over its previous opening weekend.

By comparison, Paramount Pictures’ “Ghost”--after 11 weeks--dropped just 12% over the previous week. With ticket sales of $5.1 million on 1,766 screens--for $2,887 per screen--the romantic fantasy took third place. The summer’s biggest hit has now earned more than $148 million.

Tri-Star Pictures’ just-out “Narrow Margin,” a thriller set on board a train and starring Gene Hackman and Anne Archer, was ranked fourth. With receipts of $3.6 million on 1,132 screens, it averaged $3,180 per screen.

Another new release, Paramount’s “Funny About Love”--a comedy in which Gene Wilder finds his biological clock ticking away--earned $3 million for fifth place. Released at 1,213 theaters, it averaged $2,473 a screen.