Woodcrest Homeowners, Association Reach Deal 
Most Flooded-out Residents 
Are To Pay $250 In Maintenance 
Back Dues, Plus $12.50 A Month 
Until The Government Buyout.

Ada Miller 
January 26, 1998 
Ada J. Miller, 65, Of Rr 3 Wapwallopen, Conyngham Township, Died Monday At 
Home.

By RICH DREES; Times Leader Correspondent
 Wednesday, January 28, 1998 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 4C 





WILKES-BARRE TWP.- No one believed that director James Cameron's "Titanic"
would float. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Film industry wags expected that, much like its nautical counterpart, the
three-hour-17-minute epic would sink badly at the box office. Many expected
"Titanic" to be Cameron's Waterloo. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Now, going into its sixth week of release, "Titanic" has proved unsinkable,
sailing through the Christmas movie season at the top of the box office
charts, not budging from its number-one berth. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 What was once expected to be the biggest cinematic bomb to be released in
1997 has now become the biggest hit. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "It's been phenomenal," says Sandra Egolf, manager of the General Cinema
Theaters at the Wyoming Valley Mall where the film is being screened.
"Business has been nonstop. I had people lined up outside for tickets at 9:30
Saturday morning." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Peter Kleeman, of the United Artists Theater at Steamtown, also says that
business has been good. "Hectic, that's the word," he says, laughing. "The
weekends have been sell-outs, and the weekday shows do well also." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 In its opening weekend, "Spice World," the motion picture debut of the
Spice Girls pop group, pulled a respectable $10.5 million in box office
receipts. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 During the same three-day period, "Titanic" more than doubled that figure,
earning $25.2 million. That brings the film's overall gross to $274.6 million,
just beating out the $260 million box office gross of 1975's "Jaws" to take
10th place on the list of the 10 highest-grossing films of all time. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Impressive figures, but when one takes into account that, because of its
length, "Titanic" averages only about half the number of showings per day than
its competition, the box office gross is astounding. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 A major appeal of "Titanic" is that it has something to offer most
movie-goers. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Men are being drawn to the action and special-effects portions of the
movie, while women tend to gravitate towards the romantic story of
star-crossed lovers Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. Paramount Pictures
research has shown that the movie's overall audience is split 60 to 40 percent
favoring women to men. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 That would seem quite a different audience for director Cameron, whose
previous films have been testosterone-laden actioners including the two
"Terminator" flicks, "Aliens" and "True Lies." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Another success of "Titanic" is repeat business. According to Paramount's
research, 63 per cent of those who have seen the movie more than once are
under 25. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "This was my second time," admits Jami Shuleski, 13, of Wyoming, after a
Sunday showing. "I'm a big Leonardo DiCaprio fan." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "They don't have movies like this at home," says Ioulia Zan, a 21-year-old
exchange student from the Ukraine now living in Wilkes-Barre. "I've seen it
twice now. It's a little long, but still a good movie." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "Titanic" also has crossed demographic lines. Where most films released
today are primarily aimed at the under-30 crowd- especially big-budget
spectaculars- "Titanic" has been bringing in an older audience as well. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "Oh, it was excellent," says June Alling, 70, of the Back Mountain area,
after a Monday matinee. "The three-and-a-half hours flies by. I'm glad I got
to see it." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 For all the hoopla and positive notices, "Titanic" isn't without its
critics. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

`titanic' Sailed Sea Of Doubts To Triumph