The likes exhibits Ringo Starr and His All Starr of BoxOfficeMojo ringo starr diagnoses provide daily updates via e-mail. "This industry has become the world's biggest spectator sport," said Adam Fogelson, Universal Pictures' marketing chief. "You have as much pregame and postgame analysis as you will find with any sporting event. "Studio executives may talk up the prospects for their rivals' upcoming releases while downplaying their own films, hoping to create the impression of a surprisingly strong opening. Like a losing candidate in a political primary who does better than the polls predicted, a film can be proclaimed a winner even if it doesn't finish first. "The Devil Wears Prada" opened to $27. 5 million in June, the same weekend the more heavily hyped "Superman Returns" drummed up $52. 5 million. The couture comedy was pronounced a surprise hit, but the latest superhero installment was labeled "unspectacular" and "disappointing" in articles. A bigger-than-expected premiere also gives films momentum. The Tyler Perry comedies "Diary of a Mad Black Woman" and "Madea's Family Reunion" from distributor Lions Gate were lauded for attracting surprisingly big crowds. "When a picture opens better than expected, we get a publicity bump from that," Ortenberg said. "Fahrenheit 9/11," Michael Moore's documentary attack on President Bush, expanded to 2,000 theaters from 868 thanks to its surprising opening in 2004. Expectations have their origins in weeks of market research that, to its credit, is often accurate.

Hollywood buzz correctly predicted that "Poseidon" would sink while "Pirates" could set records ringo starr and his all starr band . Besides moviegoer surveys, analysts look at such variables as the number of theaters screening a movie, whether the running time will limit daily showings, historical performance of similar pictures, the track records of the filmmakers and stars and the weekend's competition. Ringo Starr and His All Starr tickets But the methodology has grown increasingly suspect in recent years ringo and his all starr band . Traditional research methods such as calling people at home have become harder in an era of cellphones and do-not-call lists ringo starr art . That means there are more potential surprises that can hurt or help a movie. In 2000, Hollywood was stunned when "The Perfect Storm," starring George Clooney, crushed the Mel Gibson film "The Patriot," which had been expected to be that weekend's top draw ringo starr 2009 . Lions Gate's Ortenberg said research for "Diary of a Mad Black Woman" vastly underestimated the strength of Perry's fervent fan base of adult African American women Ringo Starr and His All Starr - ringostarr . Even the holy grail for movie distributors -- a chart-topping opening weekend -- can translate to failure if a film doesn't meet the predictions of industry sages. In addition to "Superman Returns," that fate recently has befallen the likes of "King Kong" and "Mission: Impossible III Ringo Starr and His All Starr - ringostarr . "Rob Moore, Paramount Pictures' president of worldwide marketing and distribution, noted that "Mission: Impossible III" opened at $47 Ringo Starr and His All Starr . 7 million, better than the studio's "Failure to Launch" and "Nacho Libre. " Yet the Tom Cruise thriller was tabbed disappointing, whereas the comedies were sleeper hits. "The obsession with expectations has become so great that of our last three movies, the one that had the biggest opening weekend is the one that got beaten up by the press," Moore said. Escalating film production costs on such films as "Mission: Impossible III" are one reason opening numbers get so much scrutiny.