The box-office made a strong recovery in December, offsetting a dreary late summer and early fall, to help set a new record for the year, according to trade reports. Daily Variety projected the total gross for the year at $7.45 billion, while The Hollywood Reporter estimated it at $7.67 billion and the Associated Press put it at $7.7 billion. Nevertheless, while box office revenue grew, thanks to increased ticket prices, attendance was off. The Hollywood Reporter said that 43 million fewer tickets were sold in 2000 than in 1999, the biggest plunge in the number of people going to movies since 1991. "I don't think you can expect to have record attendance every year, " Bruce Snyder, head of distribution for 20th Century Fox, told CBS MarketWatch. "But this was still a very, very good year."

Twentieth Century Fox executives had much to celebrate over the New Year's holiday as its Tom Hanks starrer Cast Away earned an estimated $41.5 million during the four-day frame, exceeding its take of $39.3 million a week earlier during the four-day Christmas holiday. The results appeared to surprise Fox executives. "I had expected [the film's earnings] to be down a little because it was so big last weekend, " Fox distribution chief Bruce Snyder told today's (Tuesday) Daily Variety. Cast Away has now earned $111.2 billion after only 11 days. Also finishing strong was Paramount's Mel Gibson comedy What Women Want, which earned about $25.4 million (also better than its Christmas tally) to bring its three-week total to $112.2 million. The biggest surprise was the $18.2 take for Warner Bros.' Miss Congeniality, which took in about $18.2 million -- 34 percent more than it did during its debut over the Christmas weekend. (Final figures could be affected by a furious snowstorm that struck much of the East Coast on Monday.)

The top ten films for the four-day weekend, according to studio estimates compiled by Exhibitor Relations: 1. Cast Away, $41.5 million; 2. What Women Want, $25.4 million; 3. Miss Congeniality, $18.2 million; 4. The Family Man $16.8 million; 5. The Emperor's New Groove, $14.5 million; 6. Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas, 9.7 million; 7. Vertical Limit, $8.1 million; 8. Dracula 2000, $5.3 million; 9. Dude, Where's My Car, $4.9 million; 10. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, $4.7 million.

Jerome O'Connor, a producer of Barry Levinson's Irish comedy An Everlasting Piece, is accusing DreamWorks and Steven Spielberg of trying to bury the film in an effort to kowtow to the British government. The film, about two hair piece salesmen, has been described as a parable reflecting on the troubles in Northern Ireland. "They're doing everything possible to make sure it doesn't work. Three weeks before it was meant to open, Spielberg's partner, Jeffrey Katzenberg, told Barry Levinson to cut the politics or he'd [bleep] us, " O'Connor told today's (Tuesday) New York Post. O'Connor accuses Spielberg of pulling DreamWorks' support of the movie in order to court favor with the British government. However, a DreamWorks spokesperson told the Post that the studio has not heard from O'Connor, adding "Everyone involved with this movie has been aware from the start that it was always on a limited-release pattern."

Toronto-based exhibitor Cineplex Odeon may become the next major film chain to file for bankruptcy protection, the Toronto Star observed in its current edition. The newspaper indicated that the company may soon be up for grabs at distress-sale prices and that Onex Corp, which has been talking to Cineplex about a possible takeover and restructuring, is likely to emerge the winning buyer.

Hong Kong's Film Development Fund has allocated $23.5 million to help develop overseas markets for local films and promote Hong Kong as a location spot, the online Hong Kong iMail reported today (Tuesday). A large chunk of that money will be spent at next May's Cannes Film Festival where Hong Kong films will be exhibited and marketed, a Hong Kong official told the publication.

CBS has fewer than ten 30-second Super Bowl spots still available for the Jan. 28 telecast, each of them priced at about $2.5 million, according to Advertising Age. The trade paper observed that only two dot-com businesses will be advertising during the game this year, against 17 last year. The two are Monster.com and Hotjobs.com, who bought spots in 1999 and 1998 as well. The E-Trade Group, another Internet company, is sponsoring the half-time show, as it did a year ago.

Barry Diller's USA Networks has denied published reports that it is in final talks to purchase Rainbow Media Group, the programming arm of Cablevision Systems. "It's not true that we've placed a bid, " USA Networks spokeswoman Adrienne Becker told Bloomberg News. Broadcasting & Cable magazine reported today (Tuesday) that Diller had offered $4.2 billion for Rainbow, with only such matters as the amount of cash, stock and assumed debt will be incorporated into the deal. Today's New York Times said that Cablevision hopes to get $5 million for the unit.

After more than a year of negotiations, Comcast, the country's third-largest cable operator, and Walt Disney Co. have agreed to a new contract under which Comcast will carry Disney's ABC station and the Disney channel on its cable systems. The deal averts a repeat of last year's episode in which another cable operator, Time Warner Cable, blacked out stations in several major markets when it could not reach an agreement with Disney. Comcast owns stations in several major markets, including Chicago, New York, Philadelphia and Los Angeles.

Producers of Star Trek: Voyager have kept even the cast in the dark about how the series will end, TV Guide is due to report in next week's issue. "They're afraid we'll squeal, " cast member Jeri Ryan told the magazine. The series is winding up its seventh and final season. Ryan said that if she had to guess about the outcome, "I suspect that we'll get home."

TV critics have voted The West Wing the best show of 1999 and the recently canceled The Michael Richards Show, the worst. The survey, conducted by Electronic Media magazine, also ranked the David Letterman-produced Ed as the best new show and the poorly rated An American Tragedy, a docudrama about the O.J. Simpson case, the best miniseries, movie or special.

The year's best regular shows, according to the critics: 1. The West Wing (NBC); 2. Malcolm in the Middle (Fox); 3. Ed (NBC); 4. The Gilmore Girls (WB); 5. Law & Order (NBC); 6. Buffy the Vampire Slayer (WB); 7. The Simpsons (Fox); 8. Once and Again (ABC); 9. Will & Grace (NBC); 10. Sex and the City (HBO).

The year's worst: 1. The Michael Richards Show (NBC); 2. Tucker (NBC); 3. Yes, Dear (CBS); 4. Normal, Ohio (Fox); 5. The Trouble with Normal (ABC); 6. Geena (ABC); 7. Titans (NBC); 8. Cursed (NBC); 9. Dr. Laura (Syndicated); 10. Jackass (MTV).