runtime, limiting the number of times it could be screened daily, in addition to its violent content. DreamWorks' marketing chief Terry Press said it was risky to release a serious drama in the summer, a time generally reserved for family and escapist entertainment, but this was offset by Spielberg and Hanks' popularity. A screening for DreamWorks and Paramount executives was highly praised, but Spielberg had low expectations, believing the film was too violent to attract broad audiences. Box office The film premiered on July 21, 1998. The event was low-profile without a party or many celebrities as Press said "it would have been inappropriate." Saving Private Ryan was released in the United States and Canada on July 24, 1998. During its opening weekend, it earned $30.6million across 2,463 theaters—an average of $12,414 per theater. This figure made it the number1 film of the weekend, ahead of The Mask of Zorro ($13.4million), in its second weekend, and Lethal Weapon 4 ($13.1million), in its third. The audience was split evenly between women and men, and skewed towards those aged over 25. The New York Times described it as unusual for a near three-hour long drama to perform so well on its opening weekend, crediting positive reviews. DreamWorks believed the box office figure would have been higher if not for a delay in film prints arriving in hundreds of theaters across California and Arizona until late in the afternoon. In its second weekend, Saving Private Ryan remained the number1 film with $23.6million, ahead of the debuting The Parent Trap ($11.1million) and There's Something About Mary ($10.9million) in its third. Saving Private Ryan retained the number1 position in its third weekend with ($17.4million), ahead of the debuts of Snake Eyes ($16.3million) and Halloween H20: 20 Years Later ($16.1million), and its fourth with $13.2million, ahead of the debuts of How Stella Got Her Groove Back ($11.3million) and The Avengers ($10.3million). In its fifth weekend, Saving Private Ryan fell to number2 with $10.1million, behind the debut of Blade ($17.1million). Without regaining the number1 position, it ranked among the top-ten for 12 weeks. By the end of its theatrical run, Saving Private Ryan earned a total box office gross of $216.5million, making it the highest-grossing film of the year, ahead of Armageddon ($201.6million) and There's Something About Mary ($176.5million). This also made it only the third R-rated film to earn more than $200million, after 1984's Beverly Hills