THE MARKET: “Body of Lies” goes into wide release on Friday, October 10, 2008. How much will it gross in its opening weekend as first reported by Variety on October 13? Each dollar of the share price represents millions of dollars in sales. Shares bought at $45, for example, would be worth $78 if the movie grosses $78 million. Trading closes on October 10 at 9 a.m. ET.

THE DATA: Russell Crowe and Leonardo DiCaprio star in the Ridley Scott vehicle, based on the David Ignatius novel of the same name. Relevant comparisons include Scott’s “Black Hawk Down” ($28.6 million) and George Clooney’s “Syriana” ($11.7 million).

OUR TAKE: Warner Bros. is giving this one the full monty on publicity. If you watched any of the Olympics chances are you saw a preview, and those ads weren’t going for cheap. Coming as it does during the pre-Oscar season, one might think that the film’s leads – especially Crowe, going silver-haired and chubby – might be angling for a nomination. Leo himself promises an edgier performance, complete with a badass goatee (pictured, right).

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