New Movies and Box Office Predictions: The Devil Wears Prada, Superman Returns

This week has two wide releases, one opened this past Wednesday, the other joining it today. They act as counter programming to each other. One is a guaranteed box office blockbuster, the other targets a different audience and is sure to catch some spillover. How will they play out and how will you fit into the box office puzzle?

The Devil Wears Prada. (2006, 106 minutes, PG-13, comedy, trailer) Opening today is the fashion world comedy starring Meryl Streep as the diabolical editor in chief of Runway magazine. On the side of good is Anne Hathaway (Brokeback Mountain) as Streep's new assistant. The movie looks like it could be pretty funny, hopefully it will pay off. Among the costars is Stanley Tucci who has been a highly dependable character actor over the past few years with his turns in The Terminal and Lucky Number Slevin. This was directed by David Frankel who has also worked on Entourage and Band of Brothers.

Superman Returns. (2006, 157 minutes, PG-13, action, trailer) Opening this past Wednesday was Bryan Singer's revitalization of the Man of Steel. It opened to primarily excellent reviews. By the time this sees the light of your computer screen, I will hopefully have had a chance to see the film, so you can anxiously await my take on it. The cast includes Brandon Routh as our hero with dual identities, Kate Bosworth as Lois Lane, and Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor.

Wordplay. (2006, 90 minutes, NR, documentary, trailer) This film takes a look at the fascination people have with crossword puzzles, a love that I don't happen to share. The film revolves around the New York Times crossword puzzle and looks at both sides of the puzzle, the solvers and the creators. Among those featured in the film are celebrities who take their hacks at it like Bill Clinton and Jon Stewart. I may not share the love, but the folm could be fun.

Also opening this week, but not near me:

• The Blood of My Brother
• The Great Yokai War
• Queens
• Rank
• Strangers with Candy
• Who Killed the Electric Car?

Box Office Predictions

Well, I don't think there is a question of what film will come out on top. It will be interesting to see how the rest play out. Here is how I think it will go, for the three day:

Rank	Title	Box Office
1	Superman Returns	$85 million
2	Click	$32 million
3	The Devil Wears Prada	$28 million
4	Cars	$24 million
5	Nacho Libre	$8 million
6	The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift	$7 million
7	Waist Deep	$6 million
8	The Break-Up	$5 million
9	The Lake House	$4 million
10	X-Men: The Last Stand	$3.5 million

What are you seeing this weekend?