New at BOP: Review: Matrix Resurrections Movie Review: Moonfall Movie Reviews: Scream The #1 Movie in America November Forecast The Many Saints of Newark October Forecast New Trivia Question All site updates Share & Save   Tweet

Based on the 1999 Newberry Medal-winning children's book by Louis Sachar, Holes is the story of a teenager named Stanley Yelnats (Shia LeBeouf), who is sent to a Texas detention camp for stealing a pair of sneakers. He's actually innocent, but that doesn't matter, as he and the other boys at the camp are forced to dig large holes by the warden, played by Sigourney Weaver. The warden, who paints her nails with rattlesnake venom, claims the hole-digging is necessary to build character, but she actually has a hidden agenda. Assisting the warden in her plot is her terrifying right-hand man, Mr. Sir (Jon Voight).

Holes was initially financed by Walden Media, a company that focuses on more education-oriented projects free of gratuitous sex and violence. Disney grabbed distribution rights, and though the film's premise might seem a bit iffy, the book on which the movie is based was widely acclaimed at the time of its release, winning the National Book Award, along with Best Book of the Year awards from Publishers Weekly, The New York Times and the School Library Journal. More important is its Newberry Medal, as only one pre-adolescent children's book receives this prize each year and parents and educators rely on that award as an indicator of excellence. For parents who emphasize the importance of reading for their children, this will be a very familiar literary work.

Look for Disney to launch a very savvy marketing campaign for this film along the lines of last year's Snow Dogs, which was another movie with a very unlikely premise. It wound up achieving some stellar results, and the studio is sure to be hoping for some similar results with this kids' adventure. (Kim Hollis/BOP)

Vital statistics for Holes Main Cast Sigourney Weaver, Jon Voight, Shia LaBeouf Supporting Cast Patricia Arquette, Tim Blake Nelson, Khleo Thomas, Rick Fox, Dule Hill, Henry Winkler, Siobhan Fallon Director Andrew Davis Screenwriter Louis Sachar Distributor Walt Disney Pictures Trailer Click Here for Trailer Official Site http://www.holes.com/ Rating PG Running Time 117 minutes Screen Count 2,331 Talent in red has entry in The Big Picture

Comparison films for Holes
Title	Date	Opening	Adjusted Opening	Screens	PSA	Adj PSA	Total BO	Adjusted Total	Mult
Spy Kids	3/30/01	26.55	28.33	3104	8552.00	8779.0	106.26	113.41	4.00
Snow Dogs	1/18/02	23.71	24.65	2302	10299.00	10299.0	81.15	84.37	3.42
Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams	8/9/02	16.71	17.37	3307	5053.00	5053.0	85.63	89.02	4.63
My Dog Skip	3/3/00	5.86	6.55	2331	2514.00	2705.2	34.10	38.14	5.70
Tuck Everlasting	10/11/02	5.27	5.47	1185	4446.00	4446.0	19.16	19.92	3.64