"Ghost Rider" set to speed past box office rookies

By Nicole Sperling

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - "Ghost Rider" and "Bridge to Terabithia" could lead the box office for a second weekend, despite the arrival of three new wide releases, including Jim Carrey's first thriller, "The Number 23."

From director Joel Schumacher, "23" should open in the midteen-million range, perhaps rising above that if reviews are favorable. (By contrast, Nicolas Cage's "Ghost Rider" bowed to $52 million for the four-day holiday last weekend, ahead of the acclaimed family film "Terabithia" with $28.5 million.)

Carrey plays a man who becomes obsessed with an obscure book that he is convinced is based on his life. Co-starring Virginia Madsen, Danny Huston and Rhona Mitra, New Line Cinema's R-rated film sees Carrey in a serious role -- two, actually, because he and other actors play more than one role.

Playing against type has been a mixed bag for Carrey, who succeeded in Michel Gondry's "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" in 2004 but not as much with Frank Darabont's "The Majestic" in 2001.

Also opening Friday are the comedy "Reno 911! Miami," the quirky drama "The Astronaut Farmer," and the horror film "The Abandoned."

By using outrageous marketing stunts and actors appearing solely in character, 20th Century Fox is taking a page out of its "Borat" playbook to promote "Reno 911! Miami," which is likely to bow in the low- to midteen millions.

Based on the popular Comedy Central series, "Reno" is directed by Robert Ben Garant, the movie's star, writer and producer and a screenwriter on Fox's recent hit "Night at the Museum." The film takes the Washoe County Sheriff's Department of Reno, Nev., to Miami, while a terrorist attack disrupts a national police convention.

Warner Bros. Pictures has taken over the release of the Polish brothers' "The Astronaut Farmer," originally set up at the studio's Warner Independent Pictures specialty label, with the hopes of luring a larger audience. It has the potential to get into the double-digit millions.