The con artist comedy ''Heartbreakers'' leapt to the top of the movie chart last weekend. But three newcomers aimed at a wide variety of moviegoers are likely to bump Sigourney Weaver and Jennifer Love Hewitt's mother / daughter grifter act from their perch. ''It sounds so cliché but this is one of those weekends where there's literally something for everyone,'' says Paul Dergarabedian of box office tracking firm Exhibitor Relations.
The tyke friendly adventure ''Spy Kids,'' starring Antonio Banderas and Carla Gugino, will attract the under 13 crowd, while ''Someone Like You,'' an adaptation of Laura Zigman's bestseller ''Animal Husbandry'' starring Ashley Judd, Greg Kinnear, and ''X-Men'''s Hugh Jackman, lures the date crowd. And the gross out comedy ''Tomcats'' (''American Pie'''s Shannon Elizabeth, ''Mission to Mars'''s Jerry O'Connell) will draw college age audiences in search of raunchy spring break relaxation. (Check out EW.com's story on this season's lewd offerings.
Leading this diverse competition is the PG rated ''Spy Kids,'' which analysts expect to nab the No. 1 spot with as much as a $20 million opening. ''There's been such a draught of family films lately,'' explains Robert Bucksbaum of box office tracking firm Reel Source. ''Kids haven't had anything for a while,'' agrees Dan Marks of ACNielsen. ''There's a lot of optimism that this movie will fill that void.''
''Spy'' could also benefit from an unprecedented publicity blitz orchestrated by its distributor, Miramax. ''If their ads are hitting someone my age, then they're definitely going all out,'' says Marks. Indeed, the studio has arranged a smorgasbord of product tie ins with everything from McDonald's Happy Meals to discount shoes. ''This is our biggest effort of this kind ever,'' says Lori Sale of Miramax's promotions department.
Analysts predict that this week's raunchiest offering, the R rated''Tomcats,'' will claw its way to second place, while Judd's ''Someone Like You'' is likely to land in third despite its A list roster of stars. Why? ''Someone'' not only faces competition from the similarly date friendly ''Heartbreakers'' and ''The Mexican,'' it suffers from a lack of audience recognition.
''We've done polls and studies on this: People like the trailer and they like the cast but nobody can remember the title. That's not a good sign,'' says Bucksbaum, who thinks distributor Fox may have erred in its decision to change the movie's moniker from the better-known ''Animal Husbandry.'' ''A lot of women really get off on that title.'' Maybe they should have just called the movie ''Hugh Jackman Shirtless.''
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