August Forecast

By Tim Briody

10. fear dot com

The release date implies it's being dumped, and in all likelihood, it is, but WB is hoping to nab a few bucks in the process. The concept is fairly intriguing, even if the dot-com boom died two years ago.

9. The Adventures of Pluto Nash

Live-action Eddie isn't doing too well lately. The mediocre Showtime back in March was a flop. And he filmed that movie AFTER Pluto Nash was already in the can. That's right; this movie was originally supposed to come on in April. Of 2001. A couple of Hillarys is all this is going to make at the box office.

8. Blood Work

Clint Eastwood returns with his first film since 2000's Space Cowboys. But that movie at least had a couple of other geezers with whom to share the load. His last solo effort, True Crime, underwhelmed in 1999. Sorry, Clint.

7. Full Frontal

Provided it gets a wide enough release, of course. Financial success is probably Steven Soderbergh's worst nightmare with this film, but after three consecutive mega-hits, it's pretty hard to go under the radar, especially when your movie stars Julia Roberts. A total in the $20-30 million area probably isn't out of the question.

6. S1m0ne

A CGI actress! What a concept. It could very well be enough of a novelty to ensure a decent opening. How much the idea catches on depends on where it goes from there. Wacky guess: not very far. You have to keep wondering how desperate Al Pacino is getting for a paycheck these days.

5. Serving Sara

Matthew Perry and Elizabeth Hurley. Romantic comedy, yadda-yadda-yadda. Look at Fools Rush In, Three to Tango and The Whole Nine Yards for an idea of how it's going to do. The important thing here is Bruce Campbell. That's all that really matters.

4. Blue Crush

There are two things I immediately think of when I hear the title. Hey, that's gross; get your mind out of the gutter. I'm referring to the soda - and REM song - Orange Crush. Not surfing. But anyway, the same marketing worked for Coyote Ugly two years ago, and it'll likely pay off just as well here.

3. Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams

Overall, it hasn't been a good summer for sequels. This will be one for the win column. It's got everything the first had and more. The ads are great and quite funny, and prove that the first film was not a fluke. The third film is already confirmed. It took until August, but the biggest family film of the summer has finally arrived.

2. xXx

When I wasn't paying attention, Vin Diesel became the biggest action star in Hollywood. News to me. Even if The Fast and the Furious wasn't very good, a $144 million box office does good things for your career. Now Vin gets extreme, in a film that actually doesn't look that bad. Is the newest action franchise born? Probably. This will be the biggest opening of the month, but it won't have the legs to be the biggest earner.

1. Signs

M. Night Shyamalan returns to the weekend that made him the hottest young director working today. Now it's the mystery of crop circles. Signs doesn't have the powerful trailers that Sixth Sense ("I see dead people.") and Unbreakable ("You don't have a scratch on you.") had, but it doesn't have to. Shyamalan (you know, that guy on the cover of Newsweek right now?) is rapidly gaining in name recognition and it's got Mel Gibson's star-power to boot. Additional bold prediction: The advertising for the movie has more cuts in it than the entire film itself.

  • Read David Mumpower's August forecast
  • Read Stephanie Star Smith's August forecast
  • Read Reagen Sulewski's August forecast

    View other columns by Tim Briody
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