The fall movie season began with a clunk last weekend when the Nicolas Cage thriller "Bangkok Dangerous," the only major release, lured few fans to theaters. Industry box-office revenue was the skimpiest in five years -- since "Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star" led the charts -- and down compared with last year for the seventh consecutive weekend.
This weekend, Hollywood is banking on a lot of stars, and a few casting twists, to lift the business out of its slump.
Four new releases -- Tyler Perry's "The Family That Preys," "Burn After Reading," "Righteous Kill" and "The Women" -- will fight for No. 1 in a race that looks tighter than Sarah Palin's hairdo. None appears to be a smash, but consumer tracking indicates that each has a shot at $12 million or more, so overall sales could perk up on a traditionally slow weekend for moviegoing.
The PG-13-rated "The Family That Preys" stars Kathy Bates and Alfre Woodard as matriarchs of two families, one upper crust and the other working class, torn apart by greed and scandal. The drama marks the first picture from Perry, the Atlanta-based media mini-mogul, with white as well as black protagonists.
Perry, who produced the film with Lionsgate for an undisclosed budget, has a loyal following in the African American community, especially among older women. Four of his five previous movies have opened at No. 1 or No. 2.
The question is whether his audience will expand with Oscar-winner Bates as the head of a business empire. Interest in "The Family That Preys" is similar to Perry's Janet Jackson comedy-drama "Why Did I Get Married?" which opened in October 2007 to $21.4 million, although it faces stiffer competition.
If you put a gun to Projector's head, he'd pick "The Family That Preys" to win the weekend with at least $15 million. Then he'd punch you out and call the cops.
The R-rated crime thriller "Righteous Kill" re-teams weathered tough guys Robert De Niro and Al Pacino for the first time since 1995's "Heat." The movie was made by Avi Lerner's Nu Image for about $60 million, and Overture Films acquired North American distribution rights.
"Our hope is that with these two great actors together for the first time in a long time, one plus one equals three," said Peter Adee, Overture's president of marketing and distribution.
Or, as the TV spots put it: "De Niro. Pacino. What else do you need to know?"
