Surprising road trip on ‘Hogs’

There is no crystal ball or special tarot cards that can predict a film’s box-office performance.

Case in point: “Wild Hogs,” a comedy about four fortysomething weekend motorcycle warriors -- played by John Travolta, Tim Allen, William H. Macy and Martin Lawrence -- all suffering from midlife crisis, who decide to take a road trip from their home in Cincinnati to the Pacific Ocean.

Reviews were less than enthusiastic and the stars were well into the second acts of careers. Yet “Wild Hogs” proved to be surprise hit, raking in $168.2 million at the box office. “Wild Hogs” is not only Travolta’s highest-grossing film in his 30-year career -- surpassing even “Grease” -- it is also Allen’s biggest live-action hit, as well as Lawrence’s most popular box-office success.

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Henson’s fantasy worlds, explained

Though there are already several editions of Jim Henson fantasies -- 1982’s “The Dark Crystal” and 1986’s “Labyrinth,” currently in release on DVD, including a special collector’s boxed set -- that hasn’t prevented Sony from bringing out anniversary editions of both films Tuesday. So is it worth shelling out $25 for each?

The rabid fan probably will find the new extras up his or her fantasy alley. The 3-D box covers are pretty nifty, and the editions feature recently discovered footage from Henson’s home in England, as well as new interviews with performers and the creative team, including Henson’s son Brian and “Labyrinth” executive producer George Lucas.

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On the run with ‘The Fugitive’

Over the last few years, Paramount has repeatedly gone to its TV vaults to release some of the classic series of yesterday on DVD, including “I Love Lucy,” “Sgt. Bilko,” “Gunsmoke,” “The Wild, Wild West,” “The Untouchables” and “Mission: Impossible.”

The studio’s latest vintage release is a doozy -- “The Fugitive.”

Premiering in fall 1963 on ABC, the action-packed series starred David Janssen as Dr. Richard Kimble, who is convicted and sentenced for a crime he didn’t commit -- murdering his wife. After the train transporting him to prison is derailed, Kimble escapes with the no-nonsense Lt. Philip Gerard (Barry Morse) hot on his trail. For four seasons, Kimble crisscrossed the country looking for the real murderer -- the one-armed man (Bill Raisch).

The final episode, which aired on Aug. 29, 1967 -- “August 29th, the day the running stopped” -- was seen by more viewers than any single episode of a series until that time.

In 1993, Andrew Davis directed the blockbuster feature version with Harrison Ford as Kimble and Tommy Lee Jones, in his Oscar-winning turn, as his pursuer.

In 2000, CBS resurrected the series with Tim Daly as Kimble. It lasted one season.

-- Susan King