Movie ticket sales hit record high

The Associated Press

LOS ANGELES Ÿ Lured by the new computer-animated ''Toy Story,'' moviegoers bought a record $158.5 million worth of movie tickets over the five-day Thanksgiving weekend.

The holiday take, led by the $39.1 million gross of ''Toy Story,'' was the highest for any weekend, Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc. said yesterday.

The previous mark was set over this year's five-day Fourth of July weekend, when ticket sales totaled $154.5 million. The previous Thanksgiving record was set in 1992, with sales of $140.1 million.

''Toy Story,'' the first feature film animated completely by computer, was not the sole reason for the record. The new James Bond movie, ''Goldeneye,'' took in $26.2 million for second, and ''Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls'' earned $18.7 million in third. The new robbery story ''Money Train'' collected $15.5 million in its debut weekend for fourth place.

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