'Brothers' could get blindsided at US box office

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The weekend after Thanksgiving is typically slow at movie theaters in the US, and with a few films competing for audiences' attention, ticket sales could splinter, December 4-6.

Brothers will please drama lovers, Everybody's Fine will appeal to family-fare fans, and action-adventure types will seek out Armored. But with star appeal and strong reviews, Brothers, featuring Tobey Maguire, Jake Gyllenhaal and Natalie Portman, should have the edge, if Americans are not too war-weary and realize it's a love story.

Sandra Bullock's The Blind Side, a second-place favorite during New Moon's blockbuster weekends, could slip to the top as the feel-good choice, instead of the holiday-themed Everybody's Fine, starring Robert DeNiro and Drew Barrymore.

George Clooney's Up in the Air, would have taken off at the box office this weekend if it released in more than 15 theaters nationwide. It opens across the country on Christmas and  in the rest of the world in early 2010.

RC