`Wild Things` poised to top weekend box office

Los Angeles: Three new wide releases - two thrillers and a film adaptation of a best-selling children`s book - will vie for the weekend`s box-office crown, with "Where the Wild Things Are" likely to fetch more than $25 million and lead the pack.

Warner Bros.` heavily marketed PG-rated film is based on Maurice Sendak`s 1963 picture book. Catherine Keener and Mark Ruffalo are among the ensemble cast of "Wild Things," a whimsical mix of creature effects, CGI and conventional live action. Voice performers feature James Gandolfini, Forest Whitaker and Catherine O`Hara. The Spike Jonze-helmed feature is expected to draw equally well among single adults and family moviegoers. The Jamie Foxx/Gerard Butler thriller "Law Abiding Citizen," which bows in about 2,800 theaters Friday, is the third wide release in a month from fledgling mini-major studio Overture Films, after Michael Moore`s "Capitalism: A Love Story" and the Dennis Quaid-starring "Pandorum." The R-rated "Citizen" is likely to open in the low-teen millions, and should draw its most solid support from males. The third new wide release, Screen Gems` horror thriller "The Stepfather," directed by F. Gary Gray ("The Italian Job"), could be confined to the teen millions because of audience overlap with Paramount`s first big expansion of the buzz title "Paranormal Activity." The R-rated "Paranormal" scared up an impressive $7.9 million from 160 playdates the previous weekend, with a $9.1 million total to date including earlier midnight-only engagements. Paramount will expand the film to more than 800 locations, and it appears on track for the teen millions this weekend, ahead of a likely expansion north of 2,000 runs this month. Produced for an estimated $19 million, "Stepfather" is a remake of the 1987 film and yields a first feature-helming credit for TV director Nelson McCormick. Rated PG-13, it should fetch $15 million or more through Sunday. Among key holdovers, Universal will hope for a lucrative sophomore session for "Couples Retreat" after the ensemble comedy`s surprisingly robust opening a week ago. The defending box-office champ hits the weekend approaching a $50 million cumulative total. Disney has extended the theatrical run of its double-feature release of 3D versions of "Toy Story" and "Toy Story 2," originally planned as a two-week run. Solid business and continued exhibitor interest persuaded the studio to keep the twin bill in theaters. The "Toy Story" re-releases registered more than $25 million through their two weeks in theaters, when they played in more than l,700 3D-only locations. The double feature will continue to play in more than 1,300 sites this weekend but likely shed venues the following frame. The weekend`s box-office grosses will be compared with a $100 million year-earlier frame topped by the $17 million bow of Fox`s action movie "Max Payne." Bureau Report