Friday, 23 January 1998

WEEKEND PREVIEW

The story of the weekend will once again be the unsinkable Titanic. Throw another $25 million on the barby, mate! Good Will Hunting looks like it will continue strong in the number two slot, hovering around the $11 million mark. And Fallen can't get up, with As Good As It Gets looking likely to ride its Golden Globe wins to the third slot. The new films in wide release come in natural, supernatural and unnatural. Those would be Swept From The Sea, Phantoms and Spiceworld, definitely in that order. The-Girls-That-Make-You-Gag and The-Movie-That-Signaled-The-End-Of- Peter O'Toole's career should draw between $5 and $10 million. The romantic drama of Swept will likely be lost at sea.

MILESTONES: Titanic should pass $250 million today and The Devil's Advocate hopes to hit the $60 million soul mark this weekend. Amistad and Jackie Brown are fighting to pass the $40 million mark.

QUALITY LIMITED RELEASES YOU AREN'T SUPPORTING: Kundun (439 screens), The Boxer (523) and the re-releases of The Full Monty (469) and L.A. Confidential (294).

LAST CHANCE TO SEE: Firestorm, Star Kid and The Postman, which will not pass the $20 million domestically... ever!

PROMO TO LOOK FOR: Wag The Dog could well cut some new ads which focus a little closer on their fictitious White House sex scandal and less on the cover-up.

TWO BAD MOVIES EQUAL: Hard Rain and Half Baked = Hard Baked. Synopsis: Jailbird Christian Slater trades nude photos of former girlfriend Winona Ryder for some marijuana and ends up trying to chew his way out of prison on a rainy day. Hilarity ensues.

E-mail with your thoughts on the new format for Weekend Preview. Come on. I can take it.

This week's The Whole Picture pees in the Sundance snow.