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"Stomp the Yard" set to lead box office newcomers
2007-01-12
With four wide releases opening in theaters Friday and many award contenders already in the marketplace, the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday weekend has plenty to offer moviegoers. The best of the newcomers is likely to be "Stomp the Yard," a musical drama revolving around the stepping phenomenon. But whether it can prevent the Ben Stiller comedy "Night at the Museum" from logging a fourth weekend at No. 1 is an open question. Also new this weekend are the gangster film "Alpha Dog," the crocodile thriller "Primeval," and the animated family film "Arthur and the Invisibles." Sony's "Stomp the Yard" centers on a troubled kid (choreographer-dancer Columbus Short) who avoids a juvenile hall sentence by enrolling at an Atlanta university. There, he becomes involved with the national step show competition. Last year's dance movie "Step Up" performed well with audiences, bowing to $20 million and grossing $65 million, and 20th Century Fox's "Drumline" opened to $12.6 million in 2002. Prognosticators say it could get into the high-teen-millions range for the four-day period, especially considering how well it's tracking with black audiences. "Night at the Museum" earned $23.7 million last weekend, and should be able to retain at least half its audience over the holiday. Director Nick Cassavetes' R-rated "Alpha Dog" fictionalizes the story of Jesse James Hollywood, a San Fernando Valley drug dealer who is accused of having the brother of a rival kidnapped and killed after he and his friends partied with the teenager for two days. The fictionalized character of Hollywood, Johnny Truelove, is played by Emile Hirsch, and Justin Timberlake plays his best friend. The film was originally set for a spring 2006 release through New Line Cinema, but ended up at Universal. It should earn in the $10 million-$12 million range. Disney moved up its release of "Primeval" to get ahead of the Weinstein Co.'s crocodile film "Rogue," set to bow next month. The R-rated horror film is based on the true story of a news team that was dispatched to Africa to track down a legendary 30-foot crocodile. Directed by Michael Katleman in his feature film debut, "Primeval" stars Orlando Jones, Dominic Purcell and Brooke Langton. Industry prognosticators put the film in the $5 million-$7 million range. MGM's "Invisibles" centers on a 10-year-old boy (Freddie Highmore) who, in a bid to save his grandfather's house from being demolished, looks for a fabled hidden treasure in the miniature land of the Minimoys. Mia Farrow co-stars along with voice talent from David Bowie, Madonna and Robert De Niro. Among the other holdovers, Universal expands current No. 3 film "Children of Men" to 1,510 theaters from 1,209. The futuristic thriller has grossed $13.5 million since it bowed Christmas Day. Fifth-ranked "Dreamgirls" more than doubles its theater count to 1,900 venues. Paramount's Golden Globe-nominated musical has reaped $56 million since it bowed Christmas Day. Picturehouse widens its release of Guillermo del Toro's "Pan's Labyrinth" to 194 theaters nationwide from 44. Newmarket Films opens the Lost Boys of Sudan documentary "God Grew Tired of Us" in Los Angeles and New York. Reuters/Hollywood Reporter
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