Rent due at Thanksgiving Box Office
Nicole Sperling

LOS ANGELES—With the Thanksgiving holiday weekend about to begin, Harry Potter shows no signs of breaking his spell on the box office. “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire,” which opened to $102.3 million last weekend, will head a field that includes such varied newcomers as the musical “Rent,” the comedies “Yours, Mine & Ours” and “Just Friends,” the Usher vehicle “In the Mix” and the black comedy “The Ice Harvest,” all of which open Wednesday.
“Rent” and “Yours, Mine & Ours” will try to knock “Walk the Line” off its well-earned second-place perch. But the Johnny Cash biopic, which opened to a better-than-expected $22 million last weekend, has the benefit of strong reviews and good word-of-mouth, making it a formidable competitor for the No. 2 spot, especially with adult audiences.
Luring a younger audience, “Rent” is likely to land in the $20 million-$25 million range during the five-day holiday frame — a figure that “Line” could surpass. Sony Pictures and partner Revolution Studios are gambling that well-done musicals still can reach mass audiences. After a decade of development, “Rent” has scored well in early reviews, and is sure to draw fans of the stage production, but whether a musical about AIDS patients, drag queens and drug addicts can connect with mainstream audiences remains to be seen.
Six of the eight lead actors are from the original 1996 Broadway show created by Jonathan Larson, who died unexpectedly just before the Pulitzer Prize-winning musical bowed to rave reviews. The other two actors are Rosario Dawson (“Sin City”) and Tracie Thoms (TV’s “Wonderfalls”), rising stars in their own accord but not yet big-time names who can carry a film. Taye Diggs (“Chicago”) is reprising his role as evil landlord Benny from the Broadway version.