Film: Hit-starved Columbia Pictures says it finally...

Film: Hit-starved Columbia Pictures says it finally has a winner in the Mike Nichols-directed “Wolf,” a romantic thriller starring Jack Nicholson and Michelle Pfeiffer. The studio maintains that’s why it moved the movie’s release date from March 30 to June 24, the height of the summer season. “We were convinced at the most recent screening that we’ve got a big movie that can withstand summer competition,” said Jeff Blake, president of distribution. Nicholson plays a Manhattan book editor who is bitten on the wrist by a wolf and tries to resist being transformed into a beast. The new opening date puts the picture up against “The Lion King,” an animated Walt Disney musical feature, opening nationally that day. “We’re willing to trade increased competition for better play time,” Blake said.