SNEAKS : Spielberg Walked In and the <i> bzzzzzzz</i> Began

“The audience went crazy when they first realized it was ‘Hook’ on the screen,” said one person who was at the very sneak screening Nov. 9 in Dallas of the anticipated Steven Spielberg movie.

Security was so tight for the showing at the AMC Glen Lakes 8 Theatres that the recruited audience didn’t know what film they were seeing until producer-director Spielberg entered the theater, “and a buzzing began,” the source said. “Then there was strong applause when the opening title hit the screen, and again at the end.”

“Hook,” arguably the most talked-about big-budget movie of the year, is due in theaters on Dec. 11. The movie picks up the Peter Pan legend once Peter has grown up and finds he must return to Never Never Land. It stars Dustin Hoffman as Captain Hook, Robin Williams as Peter and Julia Roberts as Tinkerbell.

By the middle of last week, distributor TriStar Pictures had managed to keep a lid on the Dallas sneak. Typically, recruited audiences and theater personnel are asked to sign agreements to remain silent about sneak screenings. The manager of the AMC theater complex refused to answer questions from a reporter, saying only that she and her staff had not seen the movie.

A TriStar spokesman in Los Angeles confirmed that a screening had taken place and said the audience was “enthusiastic.” Spielberg and studio executives were said to be satisfied; only minor editing will be made to bring the movie’s running time down to 2 hours and 15 minutes.

Apparently TriStar and Spielberg are so confident they canceled a second sneak screening that had been tentatively set for San Jose last Wednesday.

From the beginning, “Hook,” with its all-star cast, cameos appearances by more stars, Spielberg’s name and much talk about its elaborate soundstage sets, has carried a high profile.

A studio source said the movie’s production budget--before prints and advertising costs--has hit $62.3 million. Other charges against the movie will be portions of box-office gross participation fees that Hoffman, Williams and Spielberg have, in lieu of upfront salaries.

All the talk has created a buzz that appeals to movie exhibitors. TriStar has been able to ask top terms from exhibitors, who pay rentals to the studio in order to show the movie. Theater owners are expected to see the film for the first time later this week.