Troy poised to hit a Homer at Box Office

The fateful Trojan Horsein the film Troy

Troy, directed by Wolfgang Petersen, last represented by 2000's A Perfect Storm, does have a few obstacles to overcome. Its R rating could put a cap on its weekend earnings, and its 163-minute running time will place a limit on the number of screenings that can be squeezed into the weekend, even though it is bowing in 3,411 theatres.

But the megamillion-dollar retelling of Homer's The Iliad, penned by David Benioff (25th Hour), also has plenty of arrows in its quiver. Its lineup of buff leading men--Brad Pitt, Orlando Bloom and Eric Bana--has generated definite interest among under-25 females, while the massive battle sequences are a lure for under-25 men. In addition, Warners is betting that the classics-based saga also will generate interest among the two over-25 quadrants of the market.

The only other studio opener daring to confront the combined power of Troy and Van Helsing is Breakin' All the Rules, from Sony Pictures' Screen Gems genre unit. The PG-13 comedy directed by Daniel Taplitz stars Jamie Fox, who becomes a best-selling author by advising men on how to break up with their women. With a cast that includes Morris Chestnut, Gabrielle Union and Jennifer Esposito, the movie should pull in a core black audience. But the fact that it is venturing out on just 1,318 screens should hold its initial gross below the $10 million mark.

Meanwhile, continuing to position itself as a femme-skewing alternative to the big guns like Troy and Van Helsing, Paramount Pictures' Mean Girls, starring Lindsay Lohan, should hang in there. The movie took the top spot two weekends ago and ranked second last weekend with a $13.7 million purse.