'The Social Network' poised to rule the US box office

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On September 30 at midnight, The Social Network will be screened at US theaters, getting a jumpstart on the weekend for fans intent on being the first to catch this highly anticipated film with the glowing reviews. Not that it needs an extra bump with ticket sales.

The story about the founding of Facebook with its complicated wrangling of friends and foes for ownership is adapted from Ben Mezrich's bestselling book, The Accidental Billionaires. It is expected to win the box office. The script is written by Aaron Sorkin of The West Wing and directed by David Fincher ( The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Fight Club).

With advance tickets selling for the film on Fandango, the online movie service, by 32 percent, the buzz indicates it will take the top spot. According to the service, 86% of The Social Network moviegoers are Facebook users and 27% plan to "update their status" while watching the film.

Other films opening wide this weekend include two horror thrillers, Let Me In, a vampire tale starring Chloe Moretz ( Kick-Ass), and Rene Zellweger's Case 39, which both appeal to the same moviegoer and seem more of a threat to each other than to The Social Network.

The Social Network stars Jesse Eisenberg ( Zombieland), Andrew Garfield (the next Spider-Man), Rooney Mara (the American Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) and singer/actor Justin Timberlake.

The social media film releases in Germany, Austria and Switzerland next weekend, followed by France, Denmark and the UK on October 13, and rolls out to other countries throughout October and November, with Brazil, Argentina and India in December.

RC