Josh Hartnett takes on hordes of vampires (pictured) in 30 Days Of Night (reviews)--based on the graphic novel of the same name...It looks great; Ben Affleck directs his first film, while his younger brother Casey stars in Gone Baby, Gone (reviews); Rendition (reviews) has Reese Witherspoon teaming up with Jake Gyllenhaal; Things We Lost In Fire (reviews), meanwhile has Halle Berry being comforted by Benicio Del Toro; Bringing up the rear are the sports movie spoof The Comebacks (reviews) and the PG rated scare-fest Sarah Landon and the Paranormal Hour (reviews).
Pamela McClintock and Dave McNary of Variety:
In an already-crowded fall sked, there will be almost no elbow room this weekend as five well-plugged wide releases and a handful of limited bows flood the marketplace.
"Gone Baby Gone," "30 Days of Night," "Things We Lost in the Fire," "Rendition" and "The Comebacks" will crowd the multiplexes, which will also see the re-release of Tim Burton's "Nightmare Before Christmas in 3-D" and a sneak peek of offbeat laffer "Dan In Real Life," starring Steve Carell.
With so much product, it's difficult to forecast how the frame will shake out, although forecasters give an edge to Sony's R-rated vampire horror pic "30 Days of Night," which unspools in 2,855 theaters. Directed by David Slade and starring Ben Foster and Josh Hartnett, pic was produced by Sam Raimi and Robert G. Tapert's Ghost House Pictures.
Slugfest will be especially fierce among the plethora of adult dramas vying for the same aud -- and for awards attention. After the record-breaking summer, the box office has been down so far this fall, with indications that audiences simply have too many choices or aren't in the mood for serious and sobering storylines.
New films falling in the R-rated adult drama category include Ben Affleck's feature directorial debut "Gone Baby Gone," Halle Berry-Benicio Del Toro starrer "Things We Lost in the Fire" and writer-director Gavin Hood's political drama "Rendition," starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Meryl Streep and Reese Witherspoon.
Miramax had initially planned to open "Gone," starring Casey Affleck and Morgan Freeman, in a limited run but revised its plans late in the summer. Well-reviewed film, about a girl who is kidnapped, opens in 1,000 locations. It's based on the novel by Dennis Lehane, who also penned the tome "Mystic River."
DreamWorks-Paramount bows "Fire" in 1,142 locations. Directed by Danish helmer Susanne Bier, pic follows a widow who embraces her murdered husband's childhood friend, a heroin addict.
"Rendition," exploring the government's overreach in imprisoning and torturing terrorist suspects, plays in 2,250 locations.
Such films leave an opening for less serious fare -- such as Disney's surprise family hit "The Game Plan" -- to make a mark at the box office.
Among new entrants in this category, Fox Atomic bows football sports comedy "The Comebacks," rated PG-13, in 2,812 theaters. Directed by Tom Brady, film stars David Koechner as a washed-up coach who tries to revive a loser college team.
Disney opens Burton's popular PG-rated "Nightmare" in 564 theaters equipped with 3-D digital screens. Saturday night, the Mouse House holds a sneak peak of PG-13 rated "Dan in Real Life" in 400 theaters. Laffer, which opens Oct. 26, also stars Juliette Binoche and Dane Cook.
Entering its second frame with a cume of $25.6 million, Tyler Perry's romantic comedy "Why Did I Get Married?" is expected to be a strong contender this weekend after easily winning the previous frame for Lionsgate...
Click here for the entire preview...
Joshua Rich of Entertainment Weekly asks of the crowded field:
''30 Days of Night'' triumphant?
With this many openers--It's anyone's game really--they all have sizable theater counts as well. "30 Days" leads as far as that's concerned but "Baby" has the most raves...
Next Week: Saw IV hacks its way into the cineplex--just in time for Halloween, while Dan in Real Life is its only competition...
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