Niche films compete for summer viewers

updated 11:38 p.m. ET April 25, 2007

LOS ANGELES - Sequels to “Shrek,” “Spider-Man” and “Pirates of the Caribbean” aren’t the only movies coming out this summer. It only seems that way. Beneath Hollywood’s behemoth franchise flicks, a few less-heralded gems sneak in to become niche hits and sometimes $100 million smashes.

The question is whether this season’s exceptionally strong lineup of blockbuster sequels will leave breathing room for many — or any — summer sleepers.

“There’s not a single movie I don’t know about this summer, and I’m terrified of them all,” said director Matthew Vaughn, who worries his intriguing fantasy “Stardust” could get lost amid the rush that begins in May with “Spider-Man 3,” “Shrek the Third” and “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End.” “I call them juggernauts. They are coming, and nothing’s going to stop them.”

A fairy tale for adults, “Stardust” (from Viacom Inc.’s Paramount Pictures) features Claire Danes as the human incarnation of a fallen star, who lands on Earth, falls for a young adventurer (Charlie Cox), is befriended by an effeminate ship captain (Robert De Niro) and pursued by an evil witch (Michelle Pfeiffer).

“Stardust” opens in August on the same day as the buddy-cop sequel “Rush Hour 3” and just weeks after such big flicks as “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,” “The Simpsons Movie” and “The Bourne Ultimatum.”

David James / AP Charlie Cox stars as idealistic Tristan, left, and Claire Danes as Yvaine a star that has been turned into a woman, in a scene from the summer release, "Stardust."

Along with those big hitters, summer’s lineup features such heavily marketed studio flicks as the animated tales “Ratatouille” and “Surf’s Up,” the sci-fi saga “Transformers,” and sequels including the heist caper “Ocean’s Thirteen,” the superhero adventure “Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer” and the comedy “Evan Almighty.”

How are worthy smaller movies supposed to stand out in a crowd like that?

“That’s none of my business. I’m a filmmaker, not a marketer,” said Frank Oz, who has made such studio films as “The Stepford Wives” remake and “The Score” but this time directs the small ensemble comedy “Death at a Funeral,” which opens right before the busy Fourth of July weekend, when “Ratatouille” and “Transformers” are expected to dominate at theaters.

“My job is to make a film, not to look at grosses and marketing. I’ve been told what films are up against mine, and I’ve forgotten them all,” said Oz, whose film features a relatively unknown cast in the tale of a British funeral beset by outrageous revelations, schemes and mishaps.

The strategy for such smaller films is to screen them for critics and preview audiences well in advance, so word-of-mouth can help make up for their generally minimal marketing budgets.

Film festivals generate buzz
The film-festival circuit is a major pipeline to build buzz for sleeper films, including such past summer hits as “Little Miss Sunshine,” “Garden State” and “Napoleon Dynamite.”

Favorites from last fall’s Toronto and this winter’s Sundance festivals are hitting theaters this summer, among them the teen tale “Rocket Science,” about a stuttering youth who tries out for a debate team; “Away From Her,” a melancholy drama directed by actress Sarah Polley about a woman (Julie Christie) succumbing to Alzheimer’s; “Waitress,” with Keri Russell as a diner worker trying to break away from her dreary life; “Once,” following an Irish street musician (Glen Hansard of the Frames) who forms a musical partnership with a Czech woman; and “Eagle vs. Shark,” a quirky New Zealand romance between a wallflower and a geek.

Some summer films vying for attention among the franchise flicks benefit from big-name performers, such as last year’s breakout hits “The Devil Wears Prada” with Meryl Streep and “The Break-Up” with Jennifer Aniston.

Those two films also filled the chick-flick void typical of summer, which tends toward action spectacles, teen comedies and family movies.

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