The hip-hop comedy "House Party 2" took first place in its first weekend. But the new John Hughes entry, "Curly Sue," did soft business in its debut on considerably more screens. Business was off 18% for "Other People's Money," which fell to third after one week at the top, while "The Fisher King" slipped 27%, barely reaching a disappointing $30 million after five weeks in release.
* "The Butcher's Wife," starring Demi Moore and Jeff Daniels, opened to lean business, while John Sayles' much-lauded "City of Hope," in its third week of limited release, did a slow $201,677 on 70 screens. Meanwhile, Jodie Foster's "Little Man Tate," in 395 theaters, cruises along with a high per-screen average of $4,949, for $6 million after three weeks. It opens in 600 more theaters Friday.
