"Alpha" Bet

The number of new films opening at the cineplex this weekend may be small compared to recent weeks, but they still manage to cover a wide range of tastes.

The thriller Primeval (reviews) stars Dominic Purcell of TV's Prison Break working hard to start up a film career...

...And then of course, there's Nick Cassavetes long awaited Alpha Dog. The reviews for which are very positive (when I first posted this entry anyway. They took a dive when more critics chimed in later); The live action/CGI combo Arthur And The Invisibles (reviews); Sylvain White's dance musical Stomp The Yard (reviews) isn't feelin the love; Finally there's the Hindi film Guru (reviews) getting a run in a limited number of theaters.

Ian Mohr and Dave McNary of Variety update the cinema playing field:

Will "Night at the Museum" be able to top the charts once again?

Hit PG pic from Fox certainly has a real shot over a crowded Martin Luther King Day frame in which other, similarly skewing competish could drain ticket sales from one another.

New product trying to gain attention amid the holdovers -- which include the hot Will Smith starrer "Pursuit of Happyness" and expanding "Dreamgirls" -- will include Sony's "Stomp the Yard," a dancey urban drama that's been tracking very strongly with teens.

Pic -- which steps into 2,051 -- should benefit from MLK holiday biz Monday.

Tracking well with males under 25 is "Alpha Dog," the R-rated pic from Nick Cassavetes and Universal.

Long-gestating pic -- which originally preemed at Sundance last year for New Line and was subsequently scooped up by U -- stars an ensemble led by Emile Hirsch, Bruce Willis, Justin Timberlake and Sharon Stone. It opens on 1,286.

Disney aims to grab horror fans, meantime, with "Primeval," the frame's widest new release, on 2,444. Pic centers on the bloody rampage of a 25-foot-long, man-eating croc.

Par expands "Freedom Writers," the school drama that has taken in $10.8 million in one frame and targets women under 25.

But with so many pics vying for attention from urban and younger auds on holiday during the MLK weekend, "Museum" could continue to have a strong run with family crowds.

Last year, three pics were packed tightly into the top spots over the four-day frame, separated by just over $1 million, including sports drama "Glory Road," Queen Latifah vehicle "Last Holiday" and animated "Hoodwinked."

But in just three frames of release, Ben Stiller starrer "Museum" has already been a review-proof winner, taking in $167.5 million domestically, and could have more steam left.

Sony's "Happyness" also should be able to build on its run: Pic has so far taken in $126.5 million after one month in theaters.

Paramount and DreamWorks will have the first wide-release test for the musical "Dreamgirls," which has so far played to socko numbers on just 852. Pic expands to 1,907 stages.

Frame also reps expansions for a whole slew of artier endeavors as Oscar season looms.

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Joshua Rich of Entertainment Weekly belives ''Dreamgirls'' will float to No. 1 adding:

Look for ''Stomp the Yard'' to step up into second place (barely) over ''Night at the Museum''

Night At The Museum? Dreamgirls? Number one? It's gonna be a tough weekend any way you cut it as the NFL playoffs offer up second round action and the 6th season of 24 finally getting under way...