Summer movie clashes

May 28

Disney's "The Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time" versus Warner Bros.' " Sex and the City 2."

Horn: We all know how badly some recent video game adaptations have fared (remember "Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li"?), but Jerry Bruckheimer's "Prince of Persia" feels like both a hit in its own right and the potential launch of a new franchise. The first "Sex and the City" grossed more than $150 million, but I'm taking sandstorms over shoes.Fritz: No question "Persia" will open bigger thanks to a well-known brand among gamers, a hunky star (Jake Gyllenhaal) and what look like phenomenal special effects. But Hollywood has a consistent track record of screwing up video game adaptations, while films aimed at older women such as "It's Complicated" can play well for a very long time. So I'll bet "Sex and the City" will win out in the long run, at least in the U.S. (as evidenced by "2012," effects-laden tentpoles are often huge overseas regardless of what we Americans think). July 16

Disney's "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" versus
Warner Bros.' "Inception."Horn: Chris Nolan and Leonardo DiCaprio's "Inception" certainly looks like one of the cooler summer movies, and Nolan's no slacker selling tickets, either ("The Dark Knight"). But as uneven a year as Disney suffered through in 2009, 2010 is looking a whole lot brighter, and "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" (from "National Treasure" director Jon Turteltaub) looks huge.Fritz: Matching the star and director of "National Treasure" with a well-known company brand should be a home run for Disney. If new studio chairman Rich Ross has his marketing team in place and ready to launch a new film franchise, "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" should be a big winner. "Inception", meanwhile, looks more like Nolan's critically acclaimed drama "The Prestige" (domestic total: $53 million) than "The Dark Knight." Source: www.latimes.com