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The last few years have seen largely unheralded films in the thriller/horror genre meet with surprising success in late-summer releases. In 1999. The Blair Witch Project came from nowhere to leave its mark on box-office history. The Others surprised many in 2001 with its strong legs and robust word-of-mouth.

The DreamWorks entry, Ring, may very well add to this trend. What Ring lacks in big-name star power, it makes up in curiosity-piquing premise: A mysterious videotape circulates among a group of people. Those who watch it all die in seven days. The stuff of urban legend, right? Sure. At least, that's what Seattle-based reporter Rachel Keller thinks. Her world turns upside down, though, as the bizarre nature surrounding the tape engulfs her.

Australian actress Naomi Watts stars as the reporter Keller. Watts' stock has risen in the last year, due to her AFI award-winning turn in David Lynch's Mulholland Drive. The Keller role was reportedly the subject of rather stiff competition among actresses. Gore Verbinski, who headed up The Mexican, directs. Other cast members include New Zealander Martin Henderson, Chris Cooper (October Sky, American Beauty) and Brian Cox (Rushmore, Super Troopers).

Screenwriters Ehren Kruger (Scream 3, Arlington Road) and Scott Frank (Out of Sight, Get Shorty) work from established material. The film is a remake of the 1998 Japanese film Ringu, itself the first entry in a trilogy. Ringu proved wildly successful in Japan, breaking box-office records there.

Filmed in part in the Pacific Northwest, a location which added to the atmospheric air of the film, Ring had a reported budget of around $60 million. It opens among somewhat strong competition, starting the same weekend as the Clint Eastwood/Brian Helgland film Blood Work. The Mel Gibson/M. Night Shyamalan project Signs hits theatres the week before; however, with its own foreboding allure and the media savvy of DreamWorks behind it, I would not be surprised if Ring managed to leave its mark on the seasonal box office. (Calvin Trager/BOP)

October 18, 2002
Though The Ring is no longer opening against the early-August competition initially planned, it may still have a tough go of it at the box office. The film is being (unfairly) compared to recent bomb fear dot com, and DreamWorks isn't showing much confidence in its potential, releasing it in a mere 1,800 theaters.

The Ring isn't a typical horror film. There's no slasher action and it's comprised more of suspense, mystery and psychological terror than it is pure scares. The hope would be that it might follow in the footsteps of 2001's The Others, which was another stylish thriller that started on a slight number of screens but grew, thanks to word-of-mouth. The quality is certainly there; there are terrific performances, the story is mysteriously compelling, and the film offers twists and turns galore, but critical response (so far, so good) and audience reaction will be key in determining The Ring's longevity. (Kim Hollis/BOP)

Vital statistics for The Ring Main Cast Naomi Watts, Chris Cooper, Brian Cox Supporting Cast Rachael Bella, Daveigh Chase, Shannoon Cochran, David Dorfman, Lindsey Frost, Martin Henderson, Richard Lineback, Amber Tamblyn Director Gore Verbinski Screenwriter Ehren Kruger Distributor DreamWorks Official Site http://www.dreamworks.com/ring Awards Awards page for The Ring Talent in red has entry in The Big Picture

Comparison films for The Ring
Title	Date	Opening	Adjusted Opening	Screens	PSA	Adj PSA	Total BO	Adjusted Total	Mult
Scream 3	2/4/00	34.71	38.83	3465	10017.00	10779.0	88.36	98.84	2.55
Scream 2	12/12/97	33.00	43.35	2663	12392.00	15658.7	101.36	133.15	3.07
Blair Witch Project, The	7/30/99	29.21	34.80	1101	26530.00	30290.2	140.53	167.46	4.57
Time Machine, The	3/8/02	22.50	23.39	2944	7609.00	7609.0	56.68	58.93	2.52
Mexican, The	3/2/01	20.11	21.46	2951	6814.00	6994.9	66.81	71.30	3.32
Final Destination 2	1/31/03	16.02	16.02	2834	5652.00	5652.0	46.90	46.90	2.93
Others, The	8/10/01	14.09	15.03	1678	8397.00	8619.9	96.08	102.54	6.82
Get Shorty	10/20/95	12.70	17.60	1612	7878.00	10504.0	72.00	99.80	5.67
Out of Sight (1998)	6/26/98	12.02	15.45	2106	5708.00	7058.9	37.56	48.29	3.12
Final Destination	3/17/00	10.02	11.20	2585	3876.00	4170.8	53.30	59.62	5.32
American Beauty	10/1/99	8.19	9.76	706	11601.00	13245.2	130.06	154.99	14.63
Arlington Road	7/9/99	7.52	8.96	1631	4611.00	5264.5	24.36	29.02	3.24
Super Troopers	2/15/02	7.15	7.43	1780	4016.00	4016.0	18.49	19.22	2.59
Scream	12/20/96	6.35	8.66	1413	4494.00	5897.1	103.03	140.56	16.23
October Sky	2/19/99	5.91	7.04	1495	3953.00	4513.3	32.48	38.70	5.50
Rushmore	2/19/99	2.80	3.33	764	3665.00	4184.4	17.10	20.37	3.63
Mulholland Drive	10/19/01	0.96	1.02	247	3889.00	3992.2	7.22	7.70	6.13