Death to Smoochy to the average moviegoer can easily appear to be a basic parody of Barney, but with the acting talent involved and to my knowledge Norton (who is one of my favorite actors today) to this date failing to sign on to a bad project, Smoochy should be worth it. The trailer is now online and one disadvantage the film carries is that I have not see any trailer ads in theaters or television spots whatsoever. The cast should be enough to influence a good number of folks in the doors, but once its very dark theme gets under the skin of mainstream folks it's all a question to how much the film can accomplish at the box office. I originally was predicting an opening day gross of about $6.0 million and a weekend figure of about $18.0 million, or more or less Showtime's business. But, given that the subject matter may be a bit too dark for some filmgoers, its debut could be a bit more toned down than it could have been. Reviews are also a question mark but with the cast presented, these faces can pull in at least some good sized audiences.

Facing the already tough challenge of holding a gloomy storyline, Smoochy will also face up against the Jodie Foster thriller, Panic Room. Directed by David Fincher, the man behind the fav's Seven and Fight Club, Panic Room is an easier sell than Smoochy as mainstream filmgoers are into mysteries and thrill rides. The section where Death to Smoochy over-rides Panic Room is the star-power, as Jodie Foster is solo with an eerie yet interesting premise while Smoochy supplies three very well known faces. So which one will win that weekend? I have a pretty solid feeling both Death to Smoochy and Panic Room can open to $1750 - 2250 in their per-screen averages for opening day.

David Fincher's Seven was released in 1995 and got off to $13.9 million start with a $5,715 average in 2,441 locations and concluded its run earning $100.1 million domestically. His next film, The Game, starring Michael Douglas, earned $14.3 million in its opening for a similar $5,966 average. Then his next feature, Fight Club in 1999 took in $11.0 million for a $5,621 per-screen average (anything clicking in per-screen average wise?). Panic Room could be on its way to traveling a comparable road, as the film could gross around $15.0 million (in roughly 2450 theaters) while Death to Smoochy may turn in something in the neighborhood of $17.0 million (in around 2750 locations), though Smoochy in general is a risky forecast box office wise let alone the competition for adult moviegoers this weekend.

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