As the ShoWest convention, the national gathering of theater owners here, hit its midpoint Wednesday, the biggest buzz was for the summer blockbusters, particularly Sony’s “Godzilla.” During a first peek the creature’s stomps caused the room to vibrate like an earthquake. Also at Sony, Julia Roberts suggested theater owners, “get a big Kleenex concession,” for her still-untitled Chris Columbus movie with Susan Sarandon and Ed Harris.
– DreamWorks introduced projects including the animated “The Prince of Egypt” and Steven Spielberg’s “Saving Private Ryan.”
– At New Line Cinema/Fine Line, the big response was for “Pleasantville,” a Joan Allen-William H. Macy film that’s been called a cross between “Leave it to Beaver” and “Invasion of the Body Snatchers.”