The Messengers (reviews) is a spooky thriller starring Kristen Stewart and Dylan McDermott; Because I Said So (reviews) mother/daughter dramedy with Diane Keaton playing medaling mom to Mandy Moore Gilmore gal Lauren Graham and Piper Perabo; Starting its theatrical run in a limited number of locales is the African-American relationship drama Constellation (reviews)
Ian Mohr and Dave McNary of Variety:
Multiplexes could be chilly for new wide releases this weekend, as Oscar-nominated fare tries to heat up with auds as awards night nears...and don't forget about the Super Bowl.
Only two wide-release studio pics will be bowing: Universal's multigenerational chick pic "Because I Said So," a counterprogramming attempt against Super Bowl Sunday, and Sony's spooky paranormal pic "The Messengers."
Away from the majors, weekend is also a test for specialty unit Picturehouse -- the distrib of Guillermo del Toro's Spanish-language artsy fantasy "Pan's Labyrinth." Picturehouse goes for its widest expansion ever, putting "Pan's" in 1,082 engagements in North America.
Picturehouse said it will move the movie into suburban, commercial theaters and smaller towns.
Warner Bros., meantime, sends its slow-rolling war epic "Letters From Iwo Jima" from 415 to 720 theaters, trying to gain traction from four noms (including best pic and director Clint Eastwood).
So far keeping a low profile, "Iwo Jima" has hit $5.6 million. Its biz was up 38% last weekend.
Period piece "Pan's," meantime, has proved one of the few specialty success stories this season, luring arthouse auds as well as fantasy-loving geeks.
Pic has so far taken in $17.7 million, and is nommed for six Oscars.
Other Oscar-nommed pics looking to pick up further biz will be best pic contenders "The Queen" (Miramax) and "Babel" (Paramount Vantage). Both saw healthy spikes in ticket sales last weekend on the steam of their awards buzz.
But not all expansions of Oscar pics have been clicking so far.
Par last weekend moved its bigscreen musical "Dreamgirls" -- which has eight noms, but is not a best pic contender -- up to 2,785 locations. But the pic's biz dropped about 16%, suggesting it could be hitting a wall.
And Sony Classics took Pedro Almodovar's "Volver" -- which has one nom for lead Penelope Cruz -- to the highest number of Stateside screens ever for the Spanish helmer, 689. But the pic's per-playdate average dipped to $1,655.
Among new releases... "Because I Said So," starring Diane Keaton and Mandy Moore, will roll out on 2,526 screens.
Keaton has become reliable B.O. bait of late playing mothers to wacky broods: Last December's reasonably budgeted holiday pic "The Family Stone" roped in $60 million for Fox.
And 2003's "Something's Gotta Give" nearly cracked $125 million in its domestic theatrical release for Sony.
Moore's biggest pic to date has been 2001's "The Princess Diaries," a $108.2 million pic. Her last project, "American Dreamz," scored just $7.2 million last year.
Rolling to 2,528 theaters as the frame's widest new release, "Messengers" is the latest from Asian horrormeisters Oxide and Danny Pang ("The Eye").
But the newcomers will have stiff competish. Holdovers "The Pursuit of Happyness" -- which has a lead actor nominee in Will Smith -- and comedy "Night at the Museum" will continue to drain some serious coin. And Warners relaunched Martin Scorsese's best pic nominee "The Departed" last weekend as a wide release.
On the specialty circuit, MGM will send the Weinstein Co.'s biopic "Factory Girl" (which has caused quite a stir lately) to three screens. Pic stars Sienna Miller as Andy Warhol cohort Edie Sedgwick.
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Joshua Rich of Entertainment Weekly says in his Box Office Preview
''Because I Said So'' looks like the top choice of moviegoers not glued to the Colts-Bears game
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