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It’s good to have Michael Keaton back!!!

Keaton Brings the ‘Noise’ at Weekend Box Office
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – The paranormal thriller “White Noise,” which bows in theaters Friday, marks the first wide release to hit the marketplace in two weeks.
As such, the Universal Pictures release might provoke more interest from moviegoers than it normally would. In addition, the poor weather around the country that has been keeping people indoors might encourage some to seek a change of venue at the multiplex.
“White Noise,” starring Michael Keaton and directed by British TV veteran Geoffrey Sax, centers on electronic voice phenomenon, a process whereby the dead communicate with the living through household recording devices.
Industry insiders are placing the film’s reception in the $12 million-$14 million range, but many suggest that it could do better because it is the only new release in the market. Bowing in 2,258 theaters, it should arrive in either second or third place — either ahead of or behind Paramount Pictures’ “Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events.”
Set to dominate the box office for a third weekend is Universal’s “Meet the Fockers.” The Ben Stiller-Robert De Niro comedy sequel has generated more than $170 million after only 14 days in release. The film is likely to drop 50% from the previous frame, putting its weekend gross somewhere in the $20 million range. “Fockers” already has outgrossed its predecessor, 2000’s “Meet the Parents,” which had a $166.2 million domestic tally, and is currently the eighth-highest-grossing film of 2004.
Many limited releases again are expanding this frame to take advantage of the slowdown in the market.
New Line’s “Birth,” starring Nicole Kidman, will add 400 playdates to its release schedule. The film, which opened to 550 theaters but subsequently dropped to only five screens, has generated $4.7 million since it bowed Oct. 29. It now can boast of a Golden Globe nomination for Kidman’s performance.
Warner Bros. Pictures’ “Million Dollar Baby” broadens to 108 theaters from nine. The PG-13 film, from director Clint Eastwood and starring Eastwood, Hilary Swank and Morgan Freeman, has generated $1.1 million since its Dec. 15 release.
Fox Searchlight will add 500 runs to Bill Condon’s “Kinsey,” which has been playing most recently on 228 screens. Released Nov. 15, the biopic about the controversial sex researcher Alfred Kinsey has earned $6.8 million to date.
United Artists will expand “Hotel Rwanda” by about 100 screens. The film, which has screened in seven theaters since Dec. 22, has earned $465,832. Starring Don Cheadle, “Hotel Rwanda” follows the true story of Paul Rusesabagina, a hotel manager who housed and protected more than 1,000 Tutsi refugees from the Hutu militia in Rwanda.
ThinkFilm will add screens to its indie release “The Assassination of Richard Nixon,” starring Sean Penn. The film, released Dec. 29 in five theaters, has earned $55,255. Newmarket’s Sundance acquisition “The Woodsman” expands as well. The R-rated drama starring Kevin Bacon has earned close to $200,000 since its Christmas Eve release.
Samuel Goldwyn Films/ Roadside Attractions will re-expand its cult hit “What the #$*! Do We Know!?” The film rang in the New Year by crossing the $10 million mark.
Also, three new films bow in limited release this weekend.
Zeitgeist opens “Travellers and Magicians” in San Francisco and New York before expanding to Los Angeles at the end of the month, Castle Hill bows the Canadian drama “Emile” in New York, and Indican Pictures opened the drama “Solitude” on Thursday in New York.