Six on-stage contestants compete for an entire week in this question-and-answer quiz on popular culture and entertainment; one of the contestants stands in the "top spot" on stage, while the remaining five are seated in the gallery. The seated contestants each hold a ticket stub-shaped folder with a card hidden inside. All but one of the cards had a dollar amount ($300-$800) printed on them, while the remaining card had the words "Box Office" printed on it. The contestant "in charge of the search for the 'Box Office'" (i.e., returning champion) chose a contestant seated in the gallery for a one-on-one Showdown. That contestant then revealed what was printed on the card. If it was a dollar amount, that amount was added to the "box office," a cash jackpot which began at $10,000 and continued to grow until claimed. The first contestant to answer three questions (all multiple-choice) correctly continued "the search for the 'Box Office.'" If the card read "Box Office," the winner of that one-on-one Showdown played the Box Office round. In the Box Office, the contestant must answer five questions correctly to claim the jackpot. Questions came from one of two categories (which changed with each question); the first four questions were worth $500 each, while correctly answering the fifth question won the Box Office jackpot. Contestants could stop at any time and keep what they had won; an incorrect answer stopped the game and caused the player to lose everything accumulated for that bonus round (previous winnings were safe), though he/she got to "continue the search for the 'Box Office.'"
