THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, July 14, 1994 TAG: 9407140049
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E6 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MAL VINCENT, ENTERTAINMENT WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 52 lines
STUDIOS ARE pulling a switcheroo in release dates as the lucrative summer reaches midseason.
Still, it is a puzzle as to how they think.
For example, all other studios are trying to avoid ``True Lies,'' which is regarded as a blockbuster on the basis of advance screenings and hype. (Those who have seen it confirm that the reality lives up to the hype.)
Disney's baseball fantasy ``Angels in the Outfield'' had been set to open yesterday, presumably to get a two-day head-start before ``True Lies'' moves into the theaters tomorrow. Disney changed its mind, at the last minute, and decided to open tomorrow instead.
In the meantime, ``True Lies'' decided to have three screenings tonight all over the country. ``True Lies'' hopes to break weekend records and wants tocheat a little by counting the tonight's three screenings as part of the weekend. Fox, the studio, hopes to have long lines tonight, prompting everyone else to catch the flick over the weekend. The obsession is with opening weekend; all the studios want to set records.
``Black Beauty,'' at one time set to open this weekend, has been moved back. Here's a horse that knows when to run. It's getting out of Arnold's way.
Meryl Streep's entry into the action race has been moved entirely out of the summer. It will open in the fall. Meryl is not ready, yet, to fight ``Speed'' and ``True Lies'' in the action race.
``Exit to Eden,'' a comedy about S and M shenanigans, has also moved out of the summer and into the fall.
Meanwhile, such comparatively adult fare as Harrison Ford in ``Clear and Present Danger'' and Susan Sarandon in ``The Client'' are waiting for the action fans to cool off. They'll be along in a matter of weeks.
Stay tuned. You never can be sure what will open when. The studios, jockeying for all-important position, are changing schedules even at the last moment. It's the season when you'd better call your theater before leaving the house. The changeable movie tycoons just can't be sure when they have the best chance.
At midstream, I predict a neck-and-mane race between ``The Lion King'' and ``True Lies'' as the top grosser of the summer. ``Forrest Gump'' is a big hit, both with the critics and the public. ``Speed'' was the surprise hit. ``Beverly Hills III'' and ``City Slickers 2'' are the mildly surprising flops. (Will Hollywood ever get the idea that we're tired of sequels?).
And so, the revels continue. by CNB