The initial wave of reviews, the lively first-day screenings, and the first fan encirclement all seemed to foreshadow a bright box office future for A Few Good Men.
The next day, the incident of Hugo being surrounded by over a hundred fans made the front page of USA Today. The bustling scenes of the first-day public screening became the most vibrant sight of the second weekend in December—something most media had not anticipated. After all, the holiday season spanning Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas typically favored family-friendly films for box office competition, and A Few Good Men was hardly a seasonal blockbuster.
Facing the first-day success of A Few Good Men, the authoritative film industry magazine The Hollywood Reporter published its own insight in a review of the film.
"Undoubtedly, A Few Good Men is a movie that belongs to Hugo Lancaster. Even Jack Nicholson's brilliant performance cannot overshadow Lancaster's presence.
Having experienced the highlight of Dead Poets Society and the slump of Hudson Hawk, Hugo returned to the public eye a month ago with the remarkable performance in Scent of a Woman. This time, A Few Good Men is even more applauded, not only signaling the end of Lancaster's three-year slump and the return of his dazzling talent, but also propelling him to the status of a popular icon.
At twenty-five, Lancaster's handsomeness has never been denied, and his acting talent has many highlights. It is only with the recent release of two consecutive outstanding films that Lancaster's charm truly flourished.
He is sharply defined, with resolute brows and an unrestrained air; witty and humorous, with a sunny smile and expressive eyes; slightly raised eyebrows, neat, bright teeth; a fit waist, commanding presence on the court swinging a bat… everything about him makes countless women blush, lose focus, and become utterly entranced.
The crisp, heroic uniform on the courtroom stage, debating with heavyweight opponents, demonstrates such brilliance; a rookie lawyer challenging the cruelly strict military code and highly decorated officers, ultimately bringing them to justice, demonstrates unparalleled courage; from cynicism to enlightenment, bearing immense pressure on his future and life, persevering to the end, shows unwavering resolve; combining courage with strategy, balancing reality and illusion, step by step cornering a haughty colonel into admitting the truth long buried under innocent corpses—this is profound intelligence.
Rather than saying A Few Good Men made Lancaster, it is more accurate to say that Lancaster's portrayal of Daniel Kaffee made A Few Good Men. Every gesture and action imbues the film with charm, conquering both general audiences and dedicated fans."
As The Hollywood Reporter stated, if Scent of a Woman did not fully display Hugo's charm, then A Few Good Men certainly showcased his personal magnetism to the fullest. From the reactions of young women represented by Melanie, it is clear that Hugo became December's most watched man, capturing countless hearts with this film.
A Few Good Men was not originally a film designed to attract fans, yet Hugo's portrayal of Daniel Kaffee won the affection of countless admirers. Building on the groundwork of Scent of a Woman, Hugo thoroughly dispelled the shadow of the Golden Raspberry Awards, reaching the first true peak of his acting career.
Praise from critics and cheers from fans coalesced into the energy reflected in box office performance, providing Hugo with treatment he had not experienced since 1982.
During the second weekend of December, aside from two films with preview screenings, A Few Good Men and The Muppet Christmas Carol were the two widely released films of the week. The former needs no introduction; the latter starred 1986 Oscar Best Supporting Actor Michael Caine. Although only budgeted at $12 million, it was a Christmas adaptation of Charles Dickens' work, released in 2,100 theaters, demonstrating Disney's confidence. Thus, the two films' premieres were bound to compete fiercely.
Additionally, Home Alone 2, reigning champion for three consecutive weeks, maintained strong momentum. The Bodyguard, in its second week, remained a topic of discussion. The animated film Aladdin, entering its third week of expansion, surged ahead, making the week's box office competition exceptionally fierce.
Previous media predictions generally assumed a fierce battle between A Few Good Men and The Muppet Christmas Carol, while Home Alone 2 still had the chance for a fourth consecutive win. The Bodyguard and Aladdin were considered dark horses. It was clear that the week's champion would come from these five, yet media opinions varied on the ultimate winner.
However, after release, the exceptional quality and audience appeal of A Few Good Men shocked the media. On 1,900 screens, it achieved a remarkable per-screen average of $15,000, earning $28.5 million over its opening weekend and easily surpassing competitors to claim the top spot in North American box office rankings, astonishing the entire city of Los Angeles.
The $28.5 million opening, while not surpassing Home Alone 2's debut or exceeding the $30 million threshold, ranked fifth for the year in opening weekend box office, behind Batman Returns, Home Alone 2, Lethal Weapon 3, and Bram Stoker's Dracula. Among the top four, three were sequels, and one was the highly anticipated Francis Ford Coppola release—whose opening success was hardly in doubt. By comparison, A Few Good Men's opening was even more remarkable.
Before the film's release, whether Columbia Pictures' official forecast or major media predictions, the boldest estimate for A Few Good Men's opening weekend was only $15 million. This was due not only to skepticism about the film's quality and Hugo's lead performance but also because it was a serious courtroom drama, making opening box office success far from guaranteed—especially after losing Tom Cruise, a major box office draw.
Yet no one could have anticipated that A Few Good Men would explode with such astonishing energy in its first week, shattering all predictions and marking Hugo's first career milestone with a single-week box office surpassing the ten-million-dollar mark—a truly unexpected achievement.
Faced with the film's strong performance, the media erupted in praise, commending Hugo and celebrating his first career peak in ten years, marking his true entry into the ranks of top-tier stars; his competitors, meanwhile, were left in the dust.
This week, aside from A Few Good Men, no other film exceeded ten million dollars in weekend box office. Home Alone 2, The Bodyguard, and Aladdin were embroiled in fierce competition, occupying the second through fourth spots on the box office chart, with differences between them never exceeding five hundred thousand dollars, highlighting just how intense the rivalry was.
As for The Muppet Christmas Carol, despite high expectations, 2,100 theaters contributed only five million dollars, a truly disappointing performance. While acceptable compared to its twelve-million-dollar budget, Disney, as a witness to the emergence of A Few Good Men, could hardly smile at the film's box office outcome.
It is worth noting that Scent of a Woman, now in its ninth week, earned three and a half million dollars over the three-day weekend, ranking seventh on the box office chart. This meant that Hugo had two films simultaneously charting—a rare and remarkable sight.
No wonder the media scrambled to heap praise upon Hugo. Releasing two films within two months is already an extraordinary feat, especially considering Hugo's Golden Raspberry Award in January, which made this achievement all the more remarkable. Now, with both films attaining success in both reputation and box office, Hugo's performance is not only impressive compared to himself but stands on equal footing with the currently flourishing Tom Cruise.
The shadow of the past three years had finally dissipated. Hugo was not crushed by the misfortune of the Golden Raspberry Awards but, through his own efforts, reached heights he had never touched before, truly attaining the first peak of his career—a veritable Christmas miracle of 1992.
In analyzing the outstanding opening weekend of A Few Good Men, the media inevitably highlighted several factors. First, the Rodney King incident had been widely publicized, increasing public interest in courtroom dramas. With the truth still unclear, audiences were willing to see Rodney King as Dawson and Donny in the film, and white police officers as the arrogant Colonel Jessup. This emotional projection drove the box office to remarkable heights.
Second was Hugo Lancaster himself. After falling into a slump, his climb to a new peak naturally drew more interest. Coupled with the groundwork laid by Scent of a Woman and intensive publicity over two months, audiences paid even closer attention to A Few Good Men. At least for opening weekend attendance, the film enjoyed a natural advantage. Had Tom Cruise starred, the film might not have achieved such outstanding results—not because of insufficient star power, but because he did not possess the same timing and conditions.
Of course, the highlights of opening weekend numbers did not guarantee sustained success. The 50 percent drop in box office for Bram Stoker's Dracula in its second week was still fresh in memory, and the decline in A Few Good Men's second-week box office became the next point of attention.
Fortunately, the second wave of reviews following the opening continued to deliver good news. It seemed clear that Hugo was indeed climbing toward the first peak of his professional acting career.
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