Posted: Thu., Mar. 17, 2005, 4:56pm PT

Weekend Box Office Preview
March 18, 2005

'Ring' franchise looking for repeat B.O. numbers

By Variety Staff

SCARE TACTICS

DreamWorks turns its 2002 sleeper 'Ring' into a franchise today. A look at some of the most successful horror-thriller brands of all time:

TOP HORROR-THRILLER FRANCHISES

Jaws (4 pix)	404*
Hannibal Lecter (3)	389
The Exorcist (4)	331
Friday the 13th (11)†	317
Nightmare on Elm Street (8)†	307

†'Freddy v. Jason' counted under both 'Friday' and 'Nightmare' franchises

*in millions of $

BOWING
Movie Title	Engagements
The Ring Two (D'Works)	3,332
Ice Princess (BV)	2,501
Steamboy (Triumph)	39
The Helix...Loaded (Romar)	10
Melinda and Melinda (Fox Searchlight) NY	1
Mil;k and Honey (Wellspring) NY	1
The Rider Named Death (Kino) NY	1
Schizo (Picture This) NY	1
Sixteen Years of Alcohol (Tartan) NY	1
EXPANDING
The Upside of Anger (New line)	9-153

YEAR TO DATE
(in billions of $)
1.57 '04 thru Mar. 13	1.57 EVEN '05 thru Mar. 14

	1. The Ring 2 2. Robots 3. Ice Princess 4. The Pacifier 5. Be Cool	AOL Moviefone derives its Top Five Most Requested films from activity on its Web site. The Top Five have historically been 80% accurate in predicting the weekend's top five movies at the box office.
Visit Moviefone	View opening films

RELEASE DATES AND CHANGES
As of Mar. 17
Pic	New date	Old date
FOCUS FEATURES
Untitled Jim Jarmusch	Aug. 5	undated
IFC FILMS
Rebound	July 1	July 22
The Family Stone	Nov. 4
Flicka	Feb. 17 '06
Aquamarine	April 14 '06
PARAMOUNT
The Honeymooners	June 10	Summer
The Bad News Bears	July 22	June 10
Elizabethtown	Oct. 14	July 29
SONY
Benchwarmers	April 7 '06
Click	June 23 '06
Talladega Nights	july 14 '06
Ghost Rider	Aug. 4 '06	undated
Zoom	Aug. 11 '06
Next	Dec. 8 '06
UNIVERSAL
The Break Up	Feb. 17 '06
WARNER INDEPENDENT
Paradise Now	Sept. 23	Oct. 21
Strangers With Candy	Oct. 21	Sept. 23
Red indicates new entry

Source: Nielsen EDI Filmsource