The first new wide release of 2002 is, ironically, a sci-fi thriller originally scheduled for summer 2000. Based on a short story by Philip K. Dick, Impostor represents another oft-delayed film that Miramax genre label Dimension will unceremoniously dump without much warning. Texas Rangers, Dimension's last such release, was mowed down without so much as a fighting chance when it debuted late November in 402 theaters to a gutless $319,000.
Strangely, the studio once displayed enormous faith in Impostor. An impressed Dimension threw money at director Gary Fleder in 1999 to expand what was then a part of The Light Years Trilogy into a stand-alone, feature-length film. Once slated for an Aug. 11, 2000, release, Impostor moved back and forth on Dimension's schedule, from fall 2000 to spring 2001, then fall 2001, spring 2002 and, to what seemed like a firm date, Dec. 25, 2001. Dimension then belatedly settled on Jan. 4, allowing Miramax to shift Kate & Leopold from Dec. 21 to Christmas Day. Fleder, in the meantime, directed Don't Say a Word while the film was kept out of theaters and trimmed to secure a PG-13 rating.
In what sounds like a post-apocalyptic Fugitive, Gary Sinise stars as an engineer on the run after authorities suspect him of being an alien. Vincent D'Onofrio and Madeleine Stowe costar.
Dick's adaptations have enjoyed mixed success. Ridley Scott's Blade Runner, based on Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, floundered upon its 1982 release but has since become a cult classic praised for its unique vision of a future urban skyscape. Under Paul Verhoeven's guidance, We Can Remember It For You Wholesale became Total Recall, the Arnold Schwarzenegger trip to Mars that grossed $119.3 million in 1990.
Given its odd history and quiet release, Impostor looks set to vanish without causing much of a stir. Impostor, however, will no doubt serve as an appetizer for Philip K. Dick fans eagerly awaiting this summer's Minority Report, marking Tom Cruise's first collaboration with Steven Spielberg.
Impostor also will fall prey to the ongoing success of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.
Peter Jackson's magnificent adaptation of the first book in the J.R.R. Tolkien trilogy continues to live up to expectation. After just 15 days in theaters, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring has tracked down a precious $179.3 million. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone made $201.9 million during the same period, but it was playing at 300 more theaters. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring should fend off a serious challenge this weekend from A Beautiful Mind to retain the box office pole position and soar past the all-important $200 million mark.
Speaking of the boy wizard, Harry Potter celebrated 2002 by almost doubling its Christmas weekend take of $7 million to $11.9 million. With $293.2 million through Wednesday, Harry Potter not only reigns as the year's top box office attraction, but, on Thursday, likely supplanted The Sixth Sense as the 10th top-grossing film released domestically. Thanksgiving's Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets now faces the daunting task of becoming one of the most popular sequels ever made.