Opening Dates Set for Nicholson Films

So here’s the update on the standoff between the two Jack Nicholson movies that were going to open on the same day: Columbia Pictures will hold on to the Dec. 11 opening for the Tom Cruise military drama “A Few Good Men,” which features Nicholson, while 20th Century Fox will push the opening of its “Hoffa,” with Nicholson starring as the presumed-dead Teamsters leader Jimmy Hoffa, to Christmas Day.

The jockeying of opening dates is typical of Hollywood’s major studios as they try to find the optimum opening days during crowded moviegoing seasons such as Christmas. But two major movies, opening the same date, with the same star, was unusual.

While observers noted that Columbia won the battle of the Dec. 11 opening, the Dec. 25 opening might steal thunder from the Los Angeles, New York and Toronto debut of “Chaplin,” which stars Robert Downey Jr. as Charlie Chaplin--and will be released by Columbia’s sister studio TriStar Pictures.