Did not expect Marley & Me to win the weekend, much less break the record for highest Christmas Day gross (followed by 2nd and 3rd place record breakers Benjamin Button and Bedtime Stories). Didn’t expect Button (a.k.a. Arty Forrest Gump) to get that kind of broad love. Glad it did.

This week only one movie dare open that it may qualify for Oscar consideration.

12/31

Limited

DEFIANCE

WHAT’S THE PITCH?
True story of four brothers who fought off the Nazis while protecting over a thousand fellow Jews in the forests of occupied Poland during WWII.

WILL IT SUCK?
Early buzz is not so good which is too bad since writer/director Ed Zwick usually kicks ass, and has Daniel Craig and Liev Schreiber to work with.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Of all the movies Harvey moved to (in this case almost) next year, this one I think should have stayed more firmly in ‘08. $16mil.

WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
The just barely under-the-wire qualifying run release doesn’t bode well, nor do the lukewarm reviews.

Next Week: Anne Hathaway goes to another wedding.