''Doom'' will kill the competition

If there’s one thing that can pull videogame freaks away from their PlayStations, it’s a movie based on a videogame. So expect the big-screen version of Doom, starring Dwayne ”The Rock” Johnson, to easily score the top spot at the box office this weekend. Thanks to its built-in fan base, Doom could gross as much as $20 million in its first three days of release.

Second place will be a battle between Charlize Theron’s courtroom new drama, North Country, and another new release, the Kurt Russell/Dakota Fanning horse racing drama, Dreamer. Dreamer, which will debut with around $12 million, could gallop off with the runner-up spot due to its family-friendly content. North Country, meanwhile, should see a $10 million opening, followed by a long run as Oscar buzz for Theron builds yet again.

The Wallace & Gromit film will slip two places to No. 4 with another $7 million, while the new psychological thriller Stay, starring Ewan McGregor, Naomi Watts, and Ryan Gosling, will bring up the rear with a $6 million opening.