Patch Adams debuted atop the box office with $25.3-million, and the new Stepmom battled You've Got Mail for second place on a busy Christmas holiday, estimates showed Sunday. The Faculty and Mighty Joe Young opened to mediocre box office against tough competition, while The Prince of Egypt got a small boost in its second week. The Thin Red Line and A Civil Action opened to packed houses in limited-release, Oscar-consideration runs. Overall, movies grossed an impressive $134-million for the weekend _ up 3.4 percent from last year, despite fears that business would drop because Christmas fell on a Friday, a big film night. Leading the way was Patch Adams, starring Robin Williams as a medical student with a funny bedside manner. It had a record opening for a Christmas weekend release, topping Michael ($17.4-million in 1996). It was the third-highest opening for a movie in December, behind Scream 2 and Titanic. The dying mother story Stepmom opened with an estimated $19.4-million, the best debut for a film with Susan Sarandon and the second-best opening for Julia Roberts, just behind My Best Friend's Wedding in June 1997. Also vying for the No. 2 slot was the Tom Hanks-Meg Ryan romantic comedy You've Got Mail, which had an estimated $19.1-million in its second week. The rankings of Stepmom and Mail could change when the final box office numbers arrive Monday. "It just shows that there's a lot out there for an audience to discover," said Ed Russell, spokesman for Sony, which released Stepmom. "The wide range of movies was a big benefit for the industry overall." Still, some movies got lost in the crush. The Prince of Egypt added screens and saw business rise 5 percent to finish fourth with $15.3-million. But with a cumulative gross of about $40 million, it has only a remote chance of recouping its budget _ estimated as high as $100-million _ in the initial domestic theatrical run. Since studios split box office grosses with theaters, a movie must collect twice its costs to break even. The heavily marketed Mighty Joe Young, a remake of the RKO big ape flick, debuted with $10.9-million in sixth place and also has a long way to go to make up for its $70-million, special-effects heavy costs. Sandwiched between Prince and Mighty Joe was The Faculty, the classroom horror film that opened with $11.8-million for fifth place. A Bug's Life enjoyed a 1 percent jump in business even though it was taken off more than 300 screens, finishing seventh with $10.1-million. After six weeks, it has topped the $100-million mark with a total of $114.6 million. Star Trek: Insurrection, which had been tumbling after a strong opening, flattened out a bit, losing just 10 percent of its business to finish eighth with $7.5-million, well ahead of Enemy of the State, which was ninth with $5.2-million. Jack Frost was 10th with $4-million. Oscar contenders Shakespeare in Love and Waking Ned Devine added more than 200 screens each and maintained strong business, while Italy's Life is Beautiful also got a holiday bounce after adding more than 50 screens. Here are estimated grosses at North American theaters for Friday through Sunday as compiled by Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc.: 1. Patch Adams, $25.3-million. 2. Stepmom, $19.4-million. 3. You've Got Mail, $19.1-million. 4. The Prince of Egypt, $15.3-million. 5. The Faculty, $11.8-million. 6. Mighty Joe Young, $10.9-million. 7. A Bug's Life, $10.1-million. 8. Star Trek: Insurrection, $7.5-million. 9. Enemy of the State, $5.2-million. 10. Jack Frost, $4-million.