Friday, April 20, 2007

Do Not Disturb

With 2 weeks to go before the start of the summer blockbuster season, the studios are cleaning out their vaults, waiting for all of that moolah to start rolling in...

Kate Beckinsale and Luke Wilson team up for yet another motel thriller Vacancy (reviews); Anthony Hopkins and Ryan Gosling play a game of cat and mouse in Gregory Hoblit's Fracture (reviews ); Actor Adam Brody tries his hand at love In The Land Of Women (reviews ); And Simon Pegg and the gang from Shaun of the Dead try their spoofing skills on law enforcement in Hot Fuzz (reviews)

Ben Fritz and Dave McNary of Variety:

Wide openers "Fracture" and "Vacancy" will find themselves battling for the No. 1 spot at the weekend B.O. with the second frame of "Disturbia." All three are likely to gross low- to mid-teens on what looks to be a quiet weekend ahead of the summer deluge.

Warner Bros. is opening indie romance "In the Land of Women" at 2,155 theaters, but that pic should lag behind somewhat in the single digits.

Frame's wild card may be Brit buddy comedy parody "Hot Fuzz," which Focus' Rogue label is releasing Stateside. Helmer Edgar Wright's last pic, "Shaun of the Dead," became a cult favorite, and "Fuzz" has strong buzz online, but it is only opening at 825 playdates.

"Hot Fuzz" has taken in $48 million overseas, with $41 million from the U.K. and another $4.5 million from Australia.

"Fracture," which bows at 2,443 theaters, is tracking primarily with adults auds interested in a legal thriller with Anthony Hopkins. But New Line is also hoping that some younger women may come to see star Ryan Gosling. That demo helped turn Gosling's last pic for the studio, "The Notebook," into a sleeper hit.

"Vacancy" may appeal somewhat to the same horror auds as "Disturbia," though it will skew older given its R rating. Sony Screen Gems is giving the pic the frame's widest bow, at 2,551.

"Blades of Glory" and "Meet the Robinsons," which have seen modest declines the past few weekends, will likely be in the mix, along with "Women" and "Fuzz," behind the top three
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The entire article can be found here ...

Joshua Rich of Entertainment Weekly writes in his weekend preview:

The Kate Beckinsale/Luke Wilson horror flick looks to occupy the No. 1 spot this weekend, with ''Fracture'' our bet to crack the top 2...

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