The horror! More thrillers invade box office

Friday April 20 12:06 AM ET

Another weekend, another couple of thrillers.

As the domestic box office catches its breath before plunging into the summer tentpole season, the Anthony Hopkins whodunit "Fracture" and the hotel horror "Vacancy" will attempt to scare up some ticket sales. Industry experts expect them to open in the $10 million-$15 million range.

Also new is the femme-centric comedy-drama "In the Land of Women," which stars Adam Brody of "O.C." fame, and will be hard-pressed to top the $10 million mark.

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The film that looks to be generating the most buzz is the British cop comedy "Hot Fuzz." But the R-rated film is bowing in only 825 theaters -- vs. more than 2,000 for each of the other newcomers -- so won't overtake the board leaders.

The challenge for the newcomers is to win over a marketplace that might be suffering from thriller overload. Last weekend, the nosy-neighbor thriller "Disturbia" beat expectations to open at No. 1 with $22.2 million tally. A respectable 40%-50% drop would see the teen-oriented movie pull $11 million-$14 million.

New Line's R-rated "Fracture" boasts the best genes. Oscar winner Hopkins plays a wily murderer who matches wits with a young district attorney (Oscar nominee Ryan Gosling). It was directed by Gregory Hoblit, who mined similar territory in the Edward Norton breathrough "Primal Fear." Trailers that pit Hopkins against Gosling echo "The Silence of the Lambs."

Screen Gems' R-rated "Vacancy" stars Kate Beckinsale and Luke Wilson as a married couple stranded in an out-of-the-way motel where hidden video cameras track their every move. It marks the first American feature of Hungarian director Nimrod Antal ("Kontroll").

If it hopes to challenge either of the two new thrillers, "Women" will have to peel young girls away from "Disturbia" and its newly minted star, Shia LaBeouf. Its best hope for doing that lies in the appeal of Brody, the hunky star of Fox's teen soap "The O.C." In the film, he plays a young man who becomes entwined in the lives of his new neighbors, played by Meg Ryan and Kristen Stewart. The PG-13 film represents the directorial debut of Jonathan Kasdan, son of Lawrence Kasdan.

The film that looks to be generating the most fan excitement is the British cop comedy

"Hot Fuzz," already a hit in Britain, was directed by Edgar Wright, who made a name for himself with the zombie comedy "Shaun of the Dead." He directs co-writer Simon Pegg and Martin Freeman as mismatched partners in the Rogue Pictures release.

In limited engagements, ReelSource will screen "The Tripper," a horror film about hippies who encounter a maniacal killer with a Ronald Reagan fixation -- the killer's dog is named Nancy. The R-rated movie starring Lukas Haas and Thomas Jane marks the directorial debut of David Arquette, who enlisted his wife, Courteney Cox, to play a role.

For fans of more genteel comedy, Sony Pictures Classics will open "The Valet," from veteran French farceur Frances Weber, in Los Angeles and New York.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter