Paramount has shelved plans to expand Peter Jackson‘s The Lovely Bones this Friday beyond the three theaters where it is currently playing.
The Los Angeles Times reports the studio is now holding its marketing and distribution firepower for Jan. 15, when it will push the film wider and aim to attract its most promising audience: young females.
For now, Bones will keep playing at the three theaters in LA and NYC, where, thus far, ticket sales have been weak. After debuting Dec. 11 with a three-day take of $116,616, receipts dropped 61% this past weekend to $45,097.
However, the latest research surveys indicate that girls between 13 and 20 have a strong interest in seeing the picture, the LAT notes. It’s the strongest-tracking movie with that audience coming out in the next month after this weekend’s Sherlock Holmes.
Until the heavy advertising campaign for Bones rolls out in early January, Paramount is screening the movie aggressively for high school and college girls.
