Champ '300' Will Crush New Rivals

The fact that new films from Sandra Bullock and Chris Rock are opening at the North American box office Friday is almost irrelevant.

All eyes will be on the instant juggernaut that is the bloody epic "300."

After its record-setting $70.9 million opening last weekend, the Zack Snyder-directed film boasted midweek numbers unheard of for this time of year. It's likely that the film will drop only 40%-50% during its second weekend as its audience broadens to include older moviegoers and more women.

Warner Bros. Pictures' R-rated, hyperstylized adaptation of Frank Miller's graphic novel is the first March bow to close in on $100 million in one week of release.

Meanwhile, the Bullock thriller "Premonition" is likely to open in the low- to midteen millions -- similar to the $13.6 million bow of her most recent wide release, "The Lake House."

Bullock plays a Midwestern housewife who loses her husband in a car crash only to have him appear in her bed alive the next morning. Julian McMahon ("Fantastic Four") plays her husband, and Amber Valletta and Nia Long co-star. German-Turkish filmmaker Mennan Yapo's PG-13 film is set to bow in 2,831 theaters via Sony Pictures.

Fox Searchlight's "I Think I Love My Wife" also will fight for a midteen-millions opening. Rock, who also directs, plays a married man whose fidelity to his wife (Gina Torres) is tested when a hot young thing (Kerry Washington) comes on to him.

Based on Eric Rohmer's French comedy "Chloe in the Afternoon," the film debuts in 1,776 theaters. It is likely to bow in the same $13.5 million area as Rock's previous directorial effort, 2003's "Head of State."

Universal opens the horror film "Dead Silence," from "Saw" creators James Wan and Leigh Whannell, without any advance screenings. It is likely to open to less than $10 million.

Ryan Kwanten plays a young widower who returns home to investigate his wife's murder, only to find his town riddled with corpses. Wan directed the film from a script by Whannell. The film bows in 1,803 theaters.

IFC First Take opens director Ken Loach's Palme d'Or-winning "The Wind That Shakes the Barley" in nine theaters. The story focuses on two brothers conflicted during Ireland's bid for independence from Great Britain.

Anchor Bay Entertainment opens writer-director Scott Glosserman's comedic horror film "Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon" in 73 theaters. The action centers on a psychotic horror slasher who gives a documentary film crew access to his life as he plans his reign of terror.

The Weinstein Co. bows "Nomad: The Warrior" in 30 theaters. The film, from Eastern European directors Sergei Bodrov and Ivan Passer, centers on 18th century Kazakhstan and its effort to defend the country from invaders.