From VARIETY - February 12, 2002

Inside Moves: July 12 - Going like gangbusters

By Dade Hayes, Jonathan Bing

HOLLYWOOD -- They meet again.

DreamWorks and Miramax, no strangers to competition, are already jockeying with their respective megabudget dramas, "The Road to Perdition" and "The Gangs of New York."

Both are being test-screened and fine-tuned. Both are period spectacles with major stars and acclaimed directors -- Tom Hanks and Sam Mendes on "Perdition," Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese on "Gangs." Both present vengeance stories set against a backdrop of gangland violence. Both already are shaping up as Oscar heavyweights. And, oh yeah, they're both slated to open July 12, in the heat of the summer box office derby. At least for the moment.

"Gangs," whose planned Christmas bow was pushed due to length and Sept. 11 concerns, is reportedly now in a solid three-hour range. Rave reviews hit the Internet last week following a New Jersey test screening.

A Miramax rep says the company is "looking into" other release slots, with some sources close to "Gangs" suggesting it may shift to the fourth quarter to play in Oscar primetime. There is also speculation that a 20-minute reel (a la "Lord of the Rings") is in the works for screening at the Cannes film fest.

"It really surprised us when they announced their date when we were already there," says Jim Tharp, distrib chief at DreamWorks. "It's an indication of how crowded the summer is."

Summer is also an unusual season for a drama to launch. Even if only one of the two does wind up making the summer sked, it will be the biggest prestige drama since "Eyes Wide Shut" to test the hot-weather marketplace -- a test "Eyes" flunked.

But as the showdown heats up, the two studios are playing it cool.

"This is our big Oscar picture for 2002," offers one Miramax exec.

"Bring it on," counters a DreamWorker.