STOCK RISING

FAST TRACK (MGM/Weinstein) -- Dec. 29 (Limited), Jan. 19 (Wide)
Bob and Harvey Weinstein have begun to crank up the publicity machine for this romantic comedy starring Zack Braff and Amanda Peet. You must act now, because they are opening on at least one (perhaps a handful of) screens on Dec. 29, ostensibly for Academy Award consideration. There is a wide release set for Jan. 19, where Track's only real competition is horror pic The Hitcher. Although Braff's last film, The Last Kiss, was a box office dud, this Meet the Parents-style comedy seems a strong bet with the Weinstein muscle behind it.

PAN’S LABRYNTH (Picturehouse) -- Dec. 29 (Limited)
I have struggled with this fantasy film from Guillermo del Toro (Hellboy). I can safely say that it will be nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars, and that guarantees a long, steady run (nothing meteoric).  If you're playing Ultimate Moguls, and you need help in Review Score and PTA, then grab it. You could grab an 8.0 or higher with reviews, and I think 8-10 PTA points are possible.  This is not an option for Moguls Box Office, as $7-$10 million is the ceiling for this small innovative gem.

BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA (Buena Vista) -- Feb. 16 (Wide)
This is appears to be the post-holiday film to build your slate around. Katherine Paterson wrote the novel Bridge To Terabithia in the '70s, and it was published in 1977, winning the prestigious Newbery Medal. If you're a fan of C.S. Lewis, then Terabithia may sound familiar -- Paterson was inspired by the Narnian island of Terebinthia. Disney is certainly hoping they can inspire Narnia-like business with this contemporary fantasy film, and they know how to market to families. The word is that the movie has "got the goods," and that could mean a cool $100 million in box office to your Fantasy Moguls studio.

STOCK FALLING

BLOOD & CHOCOLATE (MGM) -- Jan. 26 (Wide)
This is a very crowded date. I love Smokin' Aces (Universal), and like the odds of Epic Movie (Fox) scoring with the under-25 crowd. Catch & Release (Sony) looks soft, but will pull some females, and that leaves horror entries The Invisible (Buena Vista) and Blood & Chocolate.  I'll put my money on The Invisible from writer/director David S. Goyer, who has written films like Batman Begins and the Blade trilogy. Blood & Chocolate has a bad trailer featuring shots of people turning into wolves that are cheesy looking. Plus MGM is still looking for its first non-Weinstein hit. This won't be it.

CAPTIVITY (Fox) -- Feb. 23 (Wide)
Written by Larry Cohen (It's Alive) and directed by Roland Joffe (The Mission), you might be expecting a decent horror picture. Instead, word is that this is a bad Saw rip-off right down to the booby-trapped room and a killer watching on video monitors. Plus, it's a crowded date with The Astronaut Farmer (Warner Bros), Black Snake Moan (Paramount Vantage), The Number 23 (New Line) and Reno 911: Miami (Fox) also set for February 23. You don't want this movie on your Fantasy Moguls slate.

LUCKY YOU (Sony) -- March 16 (Wide)
Curtis Hanson is a consistently interesting director with films like L.A. Confidential and  Wonder Boys to his credit, and, on paper, this seems like an interesting project. Eric Bana (Munich), Oscar winner Robert Duvall and Drew Barrymore star in a story about high-stakes poker. March 16 is its sixth official release date. It was previously set for 12/16/05, 3/17/06, 4/7/06, 9/8/06 and 10/27/06. It's a fact that good movies don't get shuffled around like this. Odds are against it being a good title for Box Office Moguls or Ultimate Moguls.

RELEASE CALENDAR UPDATE

PATHFINDER (Fox) -- Was Jan. 12 (Wide), now April 27 (Wide)

THE ABANDONED (Freestyle) -- Was Jan. 12 (Wide), now April 20 (Wide)