CAN 'FOOL'S GOLD' AND 'ROSCOE JENKINS' GIVE 'HANNAH' A RUN FOR HER MONEY? (VAR, LAT, THR)

By Nancy Vialatte

Holdover �Hannah Montana� will vie with �Fool's Gold� and �Roscoe Jenkins� for this weekend�s top spot at the box office. Both new entries are tracking well but �Hannah,� note Variety, is harder to predict since there's really no precedent.

"Hannah," playing in only 683 locations equipped with digital 3-D screens, grossed $31.1 million in its opening last weekend, but a traditional concert film generally drops 60% in its second frame. Yet, "Hannah" isn't expected to take such a steep dive.

The Los Angeles Times reports that privately, executives at rival studios grouse that Disney planned all along to extend the run by at least a week - but acknowledge that the mouse house kept young females in suspense by waiting until Sunday to make it official.

But Disney film group president Mark Zoradi said the decision to offer exhibitors a chance to extend "Hannah" during the coming weekends was made after it became apparent that there was an outsized interest in the barely wide 3-D release.

"The extra playing time will give more fans a chance to see their favorite performer, (and) it will also accommodate those fans who want to come and enjoy the experience again," Zoradi told The Hollywood Reporter.

A spokesman for the Fandango online-ticketing service told THR strong Sunday orders showed no letup in the huge interest for "Hannah."

"Fool's Gold," directed by Andy Tennant, could have an edge if it plays as broadly as Warner is hoping. The film re-teams Hudson and McConaughey, whose romantic comedy "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days" opened to $23.8 million on the same weekend in 2003.

"It's fluffy fun," Dan Fellman, Warner's president of domestic distribution told the LAT. "He's crashing planes. The bad guys are blowing things up. There is something for everybody."

Tennant has a strong record with romancers. His "Hitch" grossed $43.1 million when opening over Valentine's Day weekend in 2005. "Sweet Home Alabama" opened at $35.6 million. For "Fool's Gold," Warner is expecting numbers more along the lines of the $23.8 million for "How to Lose a Guy" or the $24.4 million to which McConaughey-Sarah Jessica Parker starrer "Failure to Launch" debuted in March 2006.

"Roscoe Jenkins" should also do solid business. Star Martin Lawrence is not only a big draw among African-American auds but a crossover star. He was last in theaters with Disney sleeper hit "Wild Hogs."

On the specialty side, Picturehouse bows "Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Show.� The comedy documentary follows four standup comedians, hand-picked by Vaughn, as they perform across the country, with Vaughn serving as emcee.

Focus Features debuts filmmaker Martin McDonagh's comedy actioner "In Bruges," toplining Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleason and Ralph Fiennes, in 28 theaters in key markets while Paris Hilton vehicle "The Hottie and the Nottie," IFC's "How to Rob a Bank" and Bigger Picture's "One Piece Movie: The Desert Princess," all bow as well.