‘Potter’ Falls--to Solid 1st-Place Gross

“Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” grossed $23.6 million to remain the No. 1 film over the weekend. The Warner Bros. fantasy saw ticket sales drop about 59% in its third weekend in release, but the movie has already earned $219.7 million in North America.

This year has seen a record five movies gross more than $200 million, accord--ing to box-office tracking firm Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc. The others are Disney/Pixar’s “Monsters, Inc.,” DreamWorks’ “Shrek,” Universal’s “The Mummy Returns” and New Line Cinema’s “Rush Hour 2.”

Meanwhile, the 20th Century Fox military thriller “Behind Enemy Lines” soared to second place on its maiden flight with $18.7 million in ticket sales.

Robert W. Welkos

(Tabular data not included)