Oscar Nominees Show New Strength

With no major new film openings to divert box-office dollars, it was an awfully good weekend to be an Oscar nominee. MGM/UA’s “Moonstruck,” catching wind from a best-picture nomination, rose 7% to $4.7 million after more than a month in release. Columbia’s “The Last Emperor,” also in the best-picture running, jumped a bit to $1.7 million, while the same studio’s “Hope and Glory,” surged. Columbia’s “School Daze,” Disney’s “Shoot to Kill,” and Lorimar’s “Action Jackson”--a rare configuration of films featuring black talent--all trailed off somewhat in their second week of release.

* Director John Boorman’s “Hope and Glory,” with Oscar nominations for best picture and best director, jumped nearly 400% to $761,000 as it widened to 323 screens.