OUR CRYSTAL BALLS SAY:

Box Office Prophets

Ghost Rider… $22.2M
The Number 23… $19M
Bridge to Terabithia… $13M
Reno 911: Miami… $11.7M
Norbit… $9.1M
Astronaut Farmer… $6.8M
Music & Lyrics… $6.1M
Breach… $5.5M
Amazing Grace… $4.2M
Daddy’s Little Girls… $4M

Lee’s Movie Info

Reno 911: Miami… $22.7M
Ghost Rider… $17M
The Number 23… $15.5M
Bridge to Terabithia… $13.3M
The Astronaut Farmer… $11.3M
Norbit… $10.4M

Screens

Some interesting bows, but nothing strong enough to knock Nic Cage’s Ghostrider off his hog. Here’s the haps:

Astronaut Farmer – Latest film from the Polish Brothers (who, contrary to popular belief, are not actually conjoined twins) about a farmer building a space rocket in his barn (just like I’m building a space rocket in my pants). Billy Bob Thornton abandons his trademark “angry failed screenwriter at Alcoholics Anonymous guy” persona and shows some range for the first time since he played the lovable, murderous retard in Sling Blade. The buzz is “heart-warming” in the tradition of post-9/11, put-the-blinders-on Uplifting Cinema.

Reno 911: Miami – Fans of dudes in hot pants rejoice (and seriously, who DOESN’T love dudes in hot pants?); Comedy Central’s hilarious faux-reality show makes the jump to the big screen today. It’s doubtful that Reno will have the same small-format to large-format crossover success as its Jew-hatin’ Khazak cousin BORAT, but pic should fare okay in the urban grids.

Number 23 – After giving Batman the Queer Eye make-over and churning out so-so fare such as 8MM and PHONE BOOTH, it’s easy to forget that Joel Schumacher once made quality popcorn thrillers like LOST BOYS (“you’re eating maggots, Michael”) and FLATLINERS (tangentially, Joel also directed the brilliant Mr. T vehicle DC CAB). He-of-the-ubiquitous-jean-jacket gets back to his post-ST. ELMO’s late-80’s roots with a dark supernatural thriller about a blood-thirsty killer, uh… number. Reviews are mixed (surprisingly, since the script kicked ass), but movie-goers may show up if only for the morbid curiosity of watching former-funny-guy Jim Carrey leap the ‘cuda Robin Williams style.

Abandoned – Lions Gate, hoping to give the faltering horror genre some much-needed mouth to mouth, serves up a Russian horror flic with creepy doll heads on the key art. Horror fans should treat the “innovative” and “gory” shocker as a sorbet, cleansing their palates of the foul fecal taste left from dross like PRIMEVAL, TOURISTAS and whatever tepid remake Michael Bay put out last week.

Also in limited: Starter for 10, Glastonbury, Gray Matters and Amazing Grace.