"It's not supposed to ignite the world with social consciousness, but this is a clean, entertaining picture with an all-star cast that brings the Latino presence to a whole new height," Nogales said. "It's a marvelous little film that is going to send everybody off to buy their own Chihuahuas."
The marketing effort appears to be clicking with broad audiences.
The trailer, featuring a Busby Berkeley-type musical number, has been popular since it premiered with this summer's "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian," according to executives at Disney and rival studios.
Disney has also raised awareness for the movie, originally titled "South of the Border," with a poster campaign in various cities featuring a Chihuahua and the simple message "Heel," done in the style of artist Shepard Fairey's "Hope" signs for Barack Obama.
The company's more traditional movie posters are plastered with a series of cheeky tag lines: "I, Chihuahua," "You Want Some of This?" "Actual Size" and, of course, "50% Warrior. 50% Lover. 100% Chihuahua."
Exhibitors and Wall Street analysts expect "Beverly Hills Chihuahua" to gross $40 million to $50 million domestically during its full run, targets that are almost certain to rise as the opening draws near. If the buzz turns out to be really good, "Chihuahua" could end up nipping at the heels of "Chipmunks" ($217 million domestically).
With summer over, current films such as "Burn After Reading," "Righteous Kill" and "The Women" have been tailored toward adults, said Bruce J. Olson, president of the Marcus Theatres chain, based in Milwaukee.
"There is a pent-up demand among families, so the market is ripe for 'Chihuahua' to be the first sleeper hit of the fall," he said.
Chris White, an analyst at Wedbush Morgan Securities, noted that DreamWorks/Paramount's over-the-top, R-rated action comedy "Tropic Thunder" drew fire from some groups for supposedly stereotyping the mentally disabled, but it opened at No. 1 and topped the box office for three weeks in late summer.
"I'm not a hard-core dog fan," White said, "but even I think 'Beverly Hills Chihuahua' is a cute concept and I definitely want to see it."
