'Tis the Season for a new Record?

The annual holiday traffic jam at the box office is creating both high hopes and frayed nerves around Hollywood. Eight "event" movies will open between Dec. 14 and Dec. 25, and many believe this year could see record grosses thanks in part to Christmas and New Year's Day falling midweek on Tuesdays, not to mention the Dec. 14 release of Peter Jackson's The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. But there also are risky plays, with the other films each vulnerable in its own way. "Studios try to cram in as many movies as they can, and there are always casualties -- always," warns one veteran studio executive.