WEEKEND WIN GOES TO THE DOGS: 'CHIHUAHUA' TARGETS $29M AFTER $8.5M FRIDAY

By Steve Mason

Nobody does dog movies quite like Disney. The canine gold rush for Walt Disney Studios began in 1955 with the release of the animated "Lady & the Tramp," which generated a $93.6 million cume in 3 separate theatrical releases. The studio then continued with the king of all dog movies, 1961�s animated classic "101 Dalmations" ($144.8 million cume in 5 releases), rolled through the 1990s with the live action "101" and "102 Dalmations" starring Glenn Close, which combined to gross over $200 million domestic, and has shown no signs of slowing down this decade with hits like "Snow Dogs" ($81.1 million cume) and "Eight Below" ($81.6 million). It�s fair to say that Disney has added another big dog to its resume.

"Beverly Hills Chihuahua�s" little star Chloe (voice by Drew Barrymore) may be small, but she has a very big bite. The new live action talking dog movie grabbed a stunning $8.5 million on its opening day, and, with a predictably huge surge of family business Saturday and Sunday, "Chihuahua" will likely reach an estimated $29 million for the 3-day. If the number holds, this would be the all-time 2nd-biggest Disney dog movie opening in history, trailing only 1996�s live action "101 Dalmations" ($33.5 million). Early math is pointing toward a possible $105-$110 million total domestic take.

"Eagle Eye" (Dreamworks/Paramount), the holdover high-tech thriller starring Shia LaBeouf, scared up another $5.5 million on its 2nd Friday, and it seems headed for an estimated $17 million weekend, down only 42% or so from its meteoric opening. Based on that hold, the DJ Caruso-directed blockbuster will pass $50 million domestic sometime on Sunday and seems to be on track for $100-$105 million domestic.

Shia LaBeouf may be Hollywood�s biggest Under 25 male star, but 20-year-old Michael Cera is in the conversation thanks to "Superbad" ($121.5 million cume) and "Juno" ($143.5 million cume), but his new flick "Nick & Norah�s Infinite Playlist "(Sony) has opened below industry expectations.

The exceedingly well-reviewed teen comedy (71% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes) is #3 for the day with $4 million and that will likely translate to a less-than-expected $10.8 million opening weekend.

Director Peter Sollett�s first film was a quirky teen romance set in Lower Manhattan called "Raising Victor Vargas," which earned 5 Independent Spirit Awards, so he had the perfect sensibility to make a movie like this work. Despite the soft opening, the "Infinite Playlist" will still be very profitable with a production budget of only $10 million.

The Richard Gere-Diane Lane tearjerker "Nights in Rodanthe" (Warner Bros.) is solidly entrenched at 4th for the day and the weekend. The Nicholas Sparks adaptation is luring Females 25 Plus to America�s multiplexes with about $2.45 million on Friday and an anticipated 2nd weekend of $7.5 million, down just 44%. That will give Rodanthe a new cume of $25.2 million or so by Monday morning.

The Ed Harris-directed "Apaloosa" (Warner Bros.) is proving that America still loves a good Western. With a cast that includes Viggo Mortensen and Oscar winners Renee Zellweger and Jeremy Irons, this 2nd directorial effort for Harris has expanded to 1,045 playdates with terrific results. The old-fashioned shoot-em-up seized $1.7 million on Friday, and it is headed for a strong $5.2M weekend, good for 5th place.

David Zucker�s conservative comedy rant "An American Carol" (Vivendi) has surpassed industry expectations with $1.4 million on its opening day. The movie, which makes sport of the uber liberal �documentarian� Michael Moore will likely sell $4.2 million in tickets over the weekend for $2,563 Per Theater Average. Although it was not screened for critics, L.A. Weekly�s Scott Foundas did manage to see it, and he says, �The movie�s level of political discourse makes Couric/Palin look like Frost/Nixon.�

Regardless, it was not made for left coast critics, and there is clearly room at multiplexes for movies made by and for conservatives.

Ironically, holdover "Fireproof" (IDP Films/Samuel Goldwyn), a Christian-themed film made by the Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, Georgia, will likely outperform "An American Carol" for the 3-day despite being in its 2nd week and showing at almost 800 fewer locations.

The red state-friendly "Fireproof" will likely reach $4.4 million for the frame for a new cume of $11.8 million. This is a massive success for filmmaker and Sherwood Baptist Church Associate Pastor Alex Kendrick considering that the movie was made for only $500,000 and all of the profit will be funneled back into the church ministries.

From the Godly to the Godless as the Bill Maher doc "Religulous" (Lionsgate), a nihilistic filmmaking exercise if there ever was one, will probably crack the top 10 for the weekend. Maher attacks religion generally, and Christianity specifically, in this comic doc, and it has generated a surprisingly strong $1.1 million, which should translate to an impressive $3.3M despite being on only 502 screens. That would be an impressive $6,500+ Per Theater Average.

In a rather hodgepodge weekend of releases, the remaining 3 titles are all disappointments to varying degrees. Universal�s feel-good "Flash of Genius," the real-life story of Robert Kearns, who invented the intermittent windshield wiper, had the invention stolen by Ford and then sued the auto giant, scored about $729 per screen on Friday for an $800,000 gross.

With generally positive reviews (59% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes) and a cast including Oscar nominee Greg Kinnear, Golden Globe nominee Lauren Graham and Oscar nominee Alan Alda, "Flash" will still only reach $2.6 million for the 3-day, and it will miss the top 10 altogether.

"Blindness" (Miramax), the dismally-reviewed new movie from Oscar nominee Fernando Meirelles stumbled to an embarrassing $700,000 Friday and, for the weekend, $2.1 million and a dismal $1,243 PTA is in the cards. (You know you are in trouble when the National Association of the Blind is protesting your movie.) Meanwhile, MGM�s "How To Lose Friends & Alienate People" starring the always-funny Simon Pegg is a non-starter with just $400,000 on opening day and a projected $1.2 million for the 3-day. That is a weekend Per Theater of just $686.