Clint Eastwood‘s Flags of Our Fathers will be the #1 film this weekend — 83 general, 43 definite interest, 14 first choice. Look for a decent opening ($20 million or so) but not a spectacular one. Chris Nolan‘s The Prestige, a turn-of-the-century duelling magician flick that doesn’t quite work all the way around the track, will be #2 with about $15 million, give or take. (Nolan-heads will be out in force, but regular-guy reactions will probably result in a sharp dropoff next weekend.)
20th Century Fox’s Flicka — 53, 23, 7 — is looking like it’ll do fair business with families. The odd thing is that it’s not a typical family entry, to judge by Todd McCarthy‘s review in Variety. No screening invitations have come this way from Fox (decisions are apparently made in advance whether you’re going to like something or not, and then you’re invited accordingly) but this appears to be another Lassie.
There was some mystification earlier this morning about how many theatres Marie-Antoinette is going to open in tomorrow (check back after lunch) but the numbers — 65, 28, 8 — suggest moderate levels of interest. Among the long throws, Stranger Than Fiction (Columbia, 11.10) is the only one with any real apparent strength.