It Could Be an Eye-Opening Summer

Warner Bros. has been basking lately in the box-office success of such films as “The Matrix” and “You’ve Got Mail,” but a real test could come in the next few weeks. The Burbank-based studio has hundreds of millions riding on two high-profile movies: “Wild Wild West,” director Barry Sonnenfeld’s sci-fi western starring Will Smith, and the late director Stanley Kubrick’s final film, “Eyes Wide Shut,” a tale of jealousy and sexual obsession starring Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman. Question marks surround both films. At a recent screening of “Wild Wild West,” sources said, exhibitors had mixed feelings. One who attended said there is “never a dull moment” in the film and raved about the fantastic gadgets Sonnenfeld places in the hands of Smith and co-stars Kevin Kline and Kenneth Branagh--including a huge walking weapon-transport vehicle called the Tarantula. But he added that Smith’s character, special government agent James West, could be funnier. “Will Smith has proven to be Mr. Fourth of July with his previous hits like ‘Independence Day’ and ‘Men in Black,’ ” he noted, “but I think while this movie will open big, it will drop pretty quickly. It’s not going to hold well.” Industry sources predict that the film likely will open to $30 million to $35 million and top out around $135 million domestically. “Wild Wild West,” which opens Wednesday on more than 3,000 screens, is entering a market already crowded with “Tarzan,” “Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me,” “Big Daddy” and “Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace.” Warner Bros. had been late in previewing “Wild Wild West”--usually a sign that a film has problems--but the studio insists that the late screenings occurred because Sonnenfeld only put his finishing touches on the movie June 18. As for “Eyes Wide Shut,” which opens July 16, the studio has been carefully rolling out the film and its ad campaign, following a game plan devised by Kubrick before his death in March. A splashy premiere is planned for July 13.

KTLA Sports Team Boasts New Look, Accent

With Latinos and women making up two of the fastest-growing segments of the sports-viewing audience, KTLA-TV has chosen a good time to revamp its coverage by hiring Claudia Trejos away from Spanish-language independent KWHY-TV. Trejos will serve as a reporter and weekend anchor at KTLA, and news director Jeff L. Wald hopes the move changes not only the complexion of the sports reporting but also its content. “I don’t want to anglicize her or her take on things,” he says. “We certainly want this to be her brand.” At KTLA, Trejos joins weekday anchor Tony Hernandez to give the station the only all-Latino sports team on English-language television in Los Angeles. She’s also the only regular female sports anchor on local TV. Of concern, however, is Trejos’ experience and grasp of English. The Colombian native joined KWHY less than two years ago, and although she anchored three sports reports each weeknight and co-anchored a weekend sports wrap-up show, that was her first full-time on-air job. And she’s never worked in English. “I was looking for somebody that had a style,” says Wald, who once took a chance on a young, inexperienced sports reporter named Keith Olbermann. “Her personality is just a breath of fresh air. I think people in this community are very used to the Latino accent and they understand it. She does sports in a way that even non-sports fans will enjoy.” Trejos starts at KTLA on Wednesday but Wald says she probably won’t be seen on air until Saturday’s 10 p.m. newscast. By then, the butterflies will be plentiful, Trejos promises. “I’m a little scared. But I guess sports is sports. If they’re ready for me, I’m ready for them.”

Britney Tops With Teens--and Teen

Pop princess Britney Spears has nothing left to prove at the nation’s record stores--after all, her “. . . Baby One More Time” is the best-selling album of 1999 to date (an estimated 3.6 million copies), but now she takes her lite-funk dance numbers on the road with a summer tour that begins tonight in Pompano Beach, Fla. While concert promoters have bemoaned the loss of arena-caliber acts among new rock stars, Spears is hoping to join fellow youth pop powers ‘N Sync and the Backstreet Boys as a solid box-office draw. Among those betting on her is Teen, the 2-million circulation magazine that will be given away for free at her shows and will feature Spears as the cover girl for the back-to-school issue next month. Does that commitment suggest Spears is the biggest act among the junior high school set? “Today? Nobody is bigger,” says Tommi Lewis, Teen editor in chief. “But tomorrow may be different.” Spears may quickly fade like past teen phenoms (remember Tiffany?) but her impact has been resounding enough to create a host of imitators who are lining up to hit record stores. “There are tons of them all of a sudden,” Lewis said. “The record companies are putting all the muscle behind single girl acts and getting away from the groups that came after the Spice Girls.”

--Compiled by Times Staff Writers