Forecast

The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas oozes with the stench of straight-to-video, coming six years after the not-well-liked-but-high-grossing original with a new and lower profile cast and cheesy special effects. The first one opened to $37.2 million over the long Memorial Day weekend in 1994 en route to a $130.5 million total, but it had more novelty and nostalgia going for it. The sequel should benefit from the paucity of family movies in the market though, much the same way that The Road to El Dorado has. By default, in other words. Still, that means it will likely make only a fraction of the original's total from its mega-wide 3,036 venue release.

It may be Where the Heart Is, but is it where the money is or is it Where the Money Is? Fox hopes for the former. Like a younger skewing Fried Green Tomatoes, this is a chick flick based on a bestseller. Natalie Portman and Ashley Judd should make it tolerable for some guys too, though the marketplace has a predominance of similarly appealing pictures right now, such as Keeping the Faith and 28 Days. Despite this, Heart should have some hearty returns from its 2,437 playdates.

After Final Destination, New Line may have another sleeper hit in Frequency. Positive buzz generated from its two sneak previews, good reviews, a Sixth Sense-y tone, and affecting trailer likely has audiences, men in particular, tuned in. U-571 and Rules of Engagement represent the primary competition. Playing at 2,621 theaters, audiences could frequent it in solid numbers.