E! Online News - January 31, 1999

"She's All That"--And Then Some

by Bridget Byrne

This weekend (when much of the nation was focused on a certain football game), a prom queen ousted a top jock in the teen-appeal box-office race.

She's All That debuted with an estimated $16.8 million, earning the No. 1 slot held for the past two weeks by Varsity Blues.

A twist on the Pygmalion fable in which the most popular guy in school fulfills a bet to transform a geek into a glamour girl in time for the big dance, She's All That stars Freddie Prinze Jr. and Rachael Leigh Cook. The only new movie to open in wide release, it did more than twice as much business as its closest competition.

James Van Der Beek's football flick fell to third place with $6.2 million, just behind Robin Williams' daffy medical comedy Patch Adams, which made $6.8 million.

John Travolta's legal drama, A Civil Action, continued to do decent business in fourth place, while, boosted by its win as Best Comedy at the Golden Globes, Shakespeare in Love was fifth.

According to Exhibitor Relations Inc., here are the Top 10 estimated grosses at the nation's theaters:

1. She's All That, $16.8 million
2. Patch Adams, $6.8 million
3. Varsity Blues, $6.2 million
4. A Civil Action, $4.8 million
5. Shakespeare in Love, $4 million
6. The Thin Red Line, $3.8 million
7. Stepmom, $3.7 million
8. The Prince of Egypt, $3 million
9. You've Got Mail, $3 million
10. At First Sight, $2.8 million