When I first heard about this film, I was very excited as I love period films and this one sounded promising. I had never read the novel and knew nothing of the other adaptations (including the 1939 version by Zolton Korda). It was all new to me and with the director of "Elizabeth" at the helm, it seemed like a must-see (a historical epic with beautiful cinematography, a classic story, and a young and talented cast). This, however, was back in 2000.

After a year of delay, "The Four Feathers" is finally being released on a total of 1912 screens -- the least of any new film. Last weekend, "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" made almost $11M on 1764 screens with an average of about $6100 per screen. Considering that "Feathers" is new and offers something that no other movie right now is -- a sweeping historical drama -- I think it’ll find its audience even though it’s a pretty crowded weekend.

For the first weekend, I see a mix of adults and teenagers. I think Paramount realizes that teenagers and young adults will go see the film for its cast alone. Although the marketing seems to be focusing on adults, the fact that the film was edited down to a PG-13 rating says it all (compromised to widen its potential audience). I have a feeling that this will hurt "The Four Feathers" in the long run as word-of-mouth circulates over what the film is missing. However, for the all-important opening weekend, at least now teenagers can watch it too.

But then again, will Heath, Wes and Kate draw the kids in? As popular as a young actor is, it seems that the film must also click. The legendary grosses of "Titanic" were yes, due to a love for Leonardo but also for the love story between Rose and Jack. Will "The Four Feathers" offer a similar love story? There is definitely a triangle involved, but will it be enough?

Although Heath is popular, he’s not box-office gold. "A Knight’s Tale," which mixed period piece with musical, comedy and teen flick, made $16M in its first weekend but only $56M overall. His most successful film was "The Patriot," but we must credit its numbers to Mel Gibson’s star power. I don’t see "Four Feathers" necessarily benefiting from Heath’s popularity, nor Wes Bentley’s or Kate Hudson’s. Although it doesn’t hurt that the cast is young and hip, I don’t see it translating to a boom first weekend.

This past summer, we saw intelligent films such as "Signs," "Road to Perdition," "Minority Report," and "The Bourne Identity" score big at the box office. The fact that "Signs" came out at the end of summer and yet has become the third-highest grossing film of the year is amazing and wonderful to me. It says that people want to see films that offer a good story, great acting, and something to remember. I think "The Four Feathers" started out with this same goal in mind: to be something special. A powerful story about friendship, self-discovery and redemption - that was the plan.

Marketing can work to convince us that "Four Feathers" is an old-fashioned epic - an Oscar contender. But this will only work for the first weekend. After that, it will have to create its own buzz which can be a powerful thing if it happens (see "Greek Wedding"). However, I don’t know if "The Four Feathers" has it, especially when I read about last-minute edits.

Heath and other members of the cast are doing their part in promoting the film, but still, it is a historical costume drama; not everyone’s cup of tea and we should keep that in mind. After all, Kapur’s Oscar-nominated "Elizabeth" only made $31M. I think for its opening weekend, "The Four Feathers" will make between $10 - 12M. Knowing that "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" made around that much last weekend makes me hope that "Feathers" can at least pull in that much.

As said, there are other new films to contend with, but I don’t think any of them except for the dreadful-looking "Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever" will make much of a dent. "The Banger Sisters" with Susan Sarandon and Goldie Hawn looks dull and I haven’t even really seen any promotion for Charlize Theron’s "Trapped." This of course cannot be said of "The Four Feathers", as everyone should know that it is coming out this Friday. Our TV sets after all have told us many, many times, and I think that this awareness is going to help the film fly near the top. It won’t be an all-out hit, but it’ll have a decent first weekend and then I think it will fade, leaving behind only its trail of desert sand.

Final Week-One Prediction: $11.3M