New "Bourne" set to lead weekend box office

LOS ANGELES - Jason Bourne, the amnesiac political assassin, should find himself in familiar territory atop the North American box office this weekend with "The Bourne Ultimatum," the third film in the spy saga.

Although Hollywood also is fielding three other wide releases and two more modest platform launches, "Bourne" should outrun the competition and force the previous weekend's chart-topper, "The Simpsons Movie," into second place.

Universal Pictures' "Ultimatum," which takes the globe-trotting Bourne (Matt Damon) to Tangier and New York, looks poised to hit the high-$50 million range, possibly even pushing into $60 million territory.

The first film in the series, "The Bourne Identity," opened to $27.1 million in 2002. "The Bourne Supremacy" bowed to $52.5 million three summers ago. Both "Supremacy" and "Ultimatum" were directed by Paul Greengrass.

20th Century Fox's "Simpsons," which bowed last weekend to a resounding $74 million, will likely follow with a haul in the $33 million-$37 million range. The animated movie is expected to cross the century mark Friday.

In a bid for the family audience, Walt Disney Pictures is unleashing "Underdog," a live-action version of the 1960s cartoon series about a canine superhero. It should open in the $11 million-$14 million range.

Paramount's "Hot Rod," in which breakout "Saturday Night Live" star Andy Samberg makes his big-screen debut as an Evel Knievel wannabe, is expected to race off with about $7 million-$10 million.

And then there's "Bratz: The Movie," a live-action tween comedy based on the popular doll line. Handicappers will be surprised if the Lionsgate release rises much higher than the $5 million mark in its first weekend.

Utilizing a more selective rollout, Picturehouse is raising the curtain on the musical drama "El Cantante," a biopic about salsa singer Hector Lavoe starring Marc Anthony. Jennifer Lopez, who is married to Anthony, produced and also stars in the R-rated film, which should find favor among Latino audiences as it debuts in 542 theaters.

Miramax Films also will introduce "Becoming Jane," a period romance in which Jane Austen (Anne Hathaway) takes center stage. It will dance into 100 theaters.

On 25 screens, ThinkFilm is venturing out with the R-rated "The Ten," a skit comedy built around outrageous infractions of the Ten Commandments.