If Shoes won’t fit at Box Office, Wallace will
Nicole Sperling

LOS ANGELES—With school-age children in many parts of the country off Monday for Columbus Day, Hollywood is counting on an uptick at the weekend box office. So, with a strategy akin to throwing pasta on the wall and seeing what sticks, the studios are releasing five films wide.
Two films will most likely battle for the top spot that’s been held by Jodie Foster’s “Flightplan” for the past two weeks: the animated “Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit” and “In Her Shoes,” starring Cameron Diaz. Also up for grabs are “Two for the Money,” “The Gospel,” and “Waiting...”
DreamWorks Animation’s G-rated “Wallace & Gromit,” from British producer Aardman Animation, is sure to connect with moviegoers this weekend. Industry insiders put its three-day gross in the teen-millions range. The critically praised stop-motion-animated film tallied $12,000 during its first day of release Wednesday in one location each in New York and Los Angeles. Aardman’s animated feature offering “Chicken Run” bowed in 2000 to $17.5 million, though sources were sceptical “Were-Rabbit” would reach that milestone.