A look inside Hollywood and the movies. : HOLLYWOOD Rx : Seat by Seat, Row by Row, Theater by Theater, City by City . . . (You Get the Idea)

Usually, the fight for screen space at the nation’s theaters is a bruising one. But sometimes, Hollywood studios actually don’t want their movies to open on many screens. It’s a strategy called “platforming,” and in the case of Disney/Touchstone’s “The Doctor,” it appears to be working.

“The Doctor,” starring William Hurt as a cocky surgeon who experiences the cold side of the medical system when he develops cancer, opened July 26 in six theaters. “It’s a movie that we knew critics and audiences would respond to,” says Touchstone President David Hoberman.

It’s also a movie that was destined to be a tough sell: Despite his impressive critical standing, Hurt is not a major box-office star, and the subject matter is a downer. There’s no small-arms fire, and not even a hint of sex. So Disney’s strategy was to open it slowly, let positive reviews settle into place and hope for good word of mouth from audiences. In other words, to get business the old-fashioned way--by earning it.

By last week, “The Doctor” was playing in 800 theaters, earning nearly $6,000 per screen last weekend and grossing nearly $14 million. And it appears to have plenty of steam left. “I’ve never, ever had this kind of response to one of my movies,” said Hoberman, who continues to receive phone calls and letters from all over the country.

Disney used a similar platforming strategy several months ago with “Green Card,” a love story that starred French actor Gerard Depardieu and American actress Andie MacDowell--not exactly household names with U.S. audiences. And Miramax slowly rolled out the critically acclaimed “The Grifters,” beginning with only six theaters, as did Warner Bros. with “Defending Your Life,” which opened in only three cities. “Platforming can be very useful in a film that doesn’t have a hook” like a big box-office star or a movie with lots of special effects, said Phil Garfinkle, senior vice president of Entertainment Data Inc., because it gives a film time to build word of mouth.

John Krier, president of Exhibitor Relations, also noted that studios can test the waters with a platform release--and decide whether it is worth spending more money on prints and advertisements. These days, prints and ads can cost as much as producing a movie.

Garfinkle added that platforming can be risky: “What if you give the party but nobody comes?”

When a film is playing in so few theaters, it can die a quiet death. That happened with Warner Bros.’ “Sheltering Sky,” Bernardo Bertolucci’s literary epic starring Debra Winger and John Malkovich. The movie, despite some friendly reviews, moved from three to 57 theaters before collapsing with about $2 million in ticket sales.

Some films, like “The Freshman”--starring Matthew Broderick and Marlon Brando--do strong business in a tiny number of theaters and then fall flat once they go wide. “You never know why with these films,” says Krier.

Two critics’ favorites, “The Commitments” and “Barton Fink,” currently are being platformed. Whether they can hold onto a bigger audience in a broader release remains to be seen.

Critics have favorably compared “The Doctor” to “Regarding Henry,” a similar morality tale starring Harrison Ford that garnered unfriendly reviews. But can “The Doctor,” playing in fewer theaters, attract the same level of business ($35 million) as “Regarding Henry”?

“The Doctor” may have the reviews, and a loyal audience following. But “Regarding Henry” had the marquee value of Ford’s name--and 1,000 theaters. It’ll be a close race.