A Holiday Feast

It's turkey time. Which is cause for celebration -- just as long as the leftover turkey's wrapped in tinfoil and stashed in the refrigerator.

After all, nobody's hungry for turkeys -- or leftovers -- on the silver screen. Especially not this holiday season, with Hollywood hoping for a box-office rebound following an underwhelming fall.

"We definitely need the holiday box office to help us out," says Paul Dergarabedian, president of Media by Numbers, which tracks and analyzes movie ticket sales and trends.

Last weekend's top movie, "Beowulf," earned $28.1 million. But this year couldn't compete with last year's pre-Thanksgiving combo of "Casino Royale" and "Happy Feet" -- and, as a result, overall box-office returns were down 27 percent compared to the same weekend in 2006, according to the show business bible Variety.

This year's Thanksgiving crop -- which arrived in theaters Wednesday -- presented all the trappings of a traditional cinematic feast, with a menu including a family heartwarmer ("August Rush"), a Stephen King chiller ("The Mist"), video game-inspired action ("Hitman") and even a semifractured Disney fairy tale ("Enchanted").

Unlike 2007's record $4.18 billion summer -- powered by threequels depicting the further adventures of (among others) swishbuckling Capt. Jack Sparrow, teen wizard Harry Potter, amnesiac assassin Jason Bourne, plus Spider-Man and Shrek"-- this holiday season boasts only two sequels.

(OK, class, which would you rather see? Dec. 21's "National Treasure: Book of Secrets" or that Christmas Day cup of cheer, "Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem"?)

"Especially coming out of the summer, when you had three of the biggest number threes back to back to back, it feels, 'Oh, it may be lighter,' " says Jeremy Devine, marketing vice president for Rave Motion Pictures, which opened the 18-screen Town Square Las Vegas multiplex last week.

And while there doesn't appear to be any movie with the potential to hit the $200 million blockbuster threshold this season, Devine says, there are quite a few potential $100 million releases.

Among the prime contenders: Will Smith in the sci-fi remake "I Am Legend," Johnny Depp and director Tim Burton's macabre musical reunion, "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street," plus Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts as strange political bedfellows in "Charlie Wilson's War."

For "Lord of the Rings" fans anxious to explore more otherworldly worlds, the animated "Beowulf" holds down the fantasy fort until Dec. 7's "The Golden Compass," the initial installment in a projected franchise based on Philip Pullman's "His Dark Materials" trilogy.

"A lot of big films are on the way," Dergarabedian promises, noting that the hits may help lure audiences back to theaters.

They certainly weren't materializing at theaters this fall, despite an impressive crop of quality dramas, he says.

According to Media by Numbers, this fall's box office take (measured between Sept. 4 and Nov. 4) is off 4.7 percent, while attendance is down 8.9 percent, compared to 2006.

In part, Dergarabedian attributes the reel downturn to real-life gloom on several fronts, from the Iraq war to the domestic economy.

"There's so much going on in the news," he says. "If you're living it, how is it escapism?"

That holds especially true for Hollywood's recent spate of movies exploring the war on terror, he adds.

From "In the Valley of Elah" to "Rendition" to "Lions for Lambs," their relative financial failure has demonstrated that when audiences "go to the movies, they don't want to be confronted with heavy issues."

At least not as a steady diet.

To help you plan your holiday moviegoing menu, here is a tipsheet to the season's top titles. (Keep in mind that release dates are subject to change -- and that some of these movies may not make it to local theaters until 2008. If ever.)

Meantime, 'tis the season for movie buffs to be jolly. Happy watching to all, and to all a good night -- or matinee! And let us pray that turkey is no longer the flavor of the month ...

NOV. 30

"Awake" -- A surgical patient (Hayden Christensen, out from behind the Darth Vader mask he wore in "Star Wars: Episode III -- Revenge of the Sith") finds himself conscious, but totally immobilized, after his anesthetic goes wrong. Jessica Alba, Lena Olin and Terrence Howard co-star in this thriller.

"Holly" -- An American dealer in stolen artifacts (Ron Livingston) befriends a Vietnamese 12-year-old (Thuy Nguyen) whose parents have sold her to a Cambodian brothel, then sets out to find her after she's sold yet again -- this time to a sex trafficker.

"Sleuth" -- Michael Caine, who starred opposite Laurence Olivier in the 1972 movie version of Anthony Shaffer's twisty stage thriller, takes on Olivier's role, matching wits with rival Jude Law (in Caine's original role) for director Kenneth Branagh.

DEC. 7

"The Golden Compass" -- The first installment of Philip Pullman's "His Dark Materials" trilogy finds young Lyra (Dakota Blue Richards) in a parallel universe, attempting to rescue a kidnapped friend -- and save two worlds. Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, Eva Green, Ian McShane and Sam Elliott star.

"Grace is Gone" -- When his wife is killed in Iraq, her husband (John Cusack) takes their daughters on a road trip -- and wonders how he's going to tell them what happened to their mother.

"Strength and Honor" -- Michael Madsen headlines this drama about an Irish boxer who accidentally kills his friend during a bout and vows never to fight again -- until his son's illness prompts a change of heart.

"The Walker" -- In Washington, D.C., a socially connected man-about-town (Woody Harrelson) finds himself a murder suspect when he tries to shield a senator's wife (Kristin Scott Thomas) from scandal. Willem Dafoe, Lily Tomlin, Mary Beth Hurt, Ned Beatty and Lauren Bacall co-star.

DEC. 12

"The Perfect Holiday" -- A single mother (Gabrielle Union) falls for a struggling songwriter (Morris Chestnut) working as a shopping mall Santa, prompting her 10-year-old son to try and reunite his mom with his rap impresario father (Charles Q. Murphy). Queen Latifah plays Mother Christmas; Terrence Howard is her comic foil, Bah Humbug.

DEC. 14

"Alvin and the Chipmunks" -- Everybody's favorite singing chipmunks add rap to their repertoire in a live-action/animation combo starring Jason Lee as David Seville, creator of the computer-generated title cuties.

"Atonement" -- Keira Knightley reunites with "Pride & Prejudice" director Joe Wright for this drama, set in World War II England and based on Ian McEwan's novel, about a teenager (Romola Garai) who unjustly accuses her sister's lover ("The Last King of Scotland's" James McAvoy) of a crime.

"I Am Legend" -- Will Smith steps into the roomy shoes of Charlton Heston (1971's "The Omega Man") and Vincent Price (1964's "The Last Man on Earth"), playing the sole uninfected survivor of a human-made plague who's trying to stay out of the way of infected mutants until he finds a cure.

DEC. 21

"The Kite Runner" -- After years in California, Amir ("United 93's" Khalid Abdalla) returns to his Afghanistan homeland to help his old friend with his troubled son. Marc Forster ("Monster's Ball," "Finding Neverland") directs this adaptation of Khaled Hosseini's best-selling novel.

"National Treasure: Book of Secrets" -- Treasure hunter Benjamin Franklin Gates (Nicolas Cage) returns, searching for 18 missing pages from the diary of Abraham Lincoln assassin John Wilkes Booth -- which could prove the key to an international conspiracy. Helen Mirren, Jon Vought, Diane Kruger and Harvey Keitel join the chase.

"P.S. I Love You" -- A young widow (Hilary Swank) tries to rebuild her life, following instructions left by her late husband ("300's" Gerard Butler). Gina Gershon, Lisa Kudrow, Kathy Bates and Harry Connick Jr. co-star in this adaptation of Cecelia Ahern's novel.

"Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" -- Johnny Depp and director Tim Burton team up for the sixth time with this adaptation of Stephen Sondheim's Broadway classic about a London barber's bloody quest for vengeance. Helena Bonham Carter, Sacha Baron Cohen and Alan Rickman join the chorus.

"Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story" -- John C. Reilly takes on the title role in this spoof of "Walk the Line" and other country music biopics from producer Judd Apatow ("Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby," "Knocked Up," "Superbad").

DEC. 25

"Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem" -- A Predator scout ship crash-lands in a Colorado town, but the Aliens onboard take the battle to the streets (and the unsuspecting residents) in this sequel to 2004's "Alien vs. Predator," with "American Gangster's" John Ortiz and "Rescue Me's" Steven Pasquale leading the human contingent.

"The Bucket List" -- Two terminal cancer patients (Jack Nicholson, Morgan Freeman) bust out of the hospital and hit the road to pack as much adventure as possible into what's left of their lives; Rob Reiner (Nicholson's "A Few Good Men" director) calls the shots.

"Charlie Wilson's War" -- After the Soviets invade Afghanistan in 1979, a Texas congressman (Tom Hanks), a Houston socialite (Julia Roberts) and a rogue CIA agent (Philip Seymour Hoffman) team up to funnel money and weapons to mujahedeen rebels. Mike Nichols directs from a screenplay by Aaron Sorkin ("The West Wing," "A Few Good Men").

"The Great Debaters" -- Denzel Washington stars in and directs this inspirational tale, set in the 1930s, about an East Texas college debate team that challenges the Harvard squad for the national championship. Kimberly Elise, Nate Parker and Forest Whitaker co-star.

"Juno" -- Jason Reitman ("Thank You for Smoking") returns with this comedy about a high school misfit (Ellen Page), pregnant by her boyfriend ("Superbad's" Michael Cera), who finds the perfect couple (Jason Bateman, Jennifer Garner) to adopt the baby.

"The Waterhorse: Legend of the Deep" -- Scottish kids (including "Millions" charmer Alex Etel) discover a mysterious egg that hatches a playful sea monster in a family-friendly adventure featuring Emily Watson, Ben Chaplin and David Morrissey.

Contact reporter Carol Cling at ccling@reviewjournal.com or (702) 383-0272.